December 28, 2009, By Alexander Panetta, THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL - The scion of Canada's most powerful Mafia family was gunned down Monday in a bold, violent strike that had experts predicting bitter reprisals and a potential Mob war.
Nick Rizzuto was shot in broad daylight beside a Mercedes sedan and he collapsed into the freshly falling snow as terrified onlookers watched the gunman flee.
He was the son of Vito Rizzuto, the so-called godfather of the country's dominant Mafia clan.
When reached at the hospital, a lawyer for the family declined to comment. Lawyer Loris Cavaliere told The Canadian Press there would be no immediate statement from the family.
An expert on the Italian Mafia called it a historic attempt to wrest control from the Sicilian family. He said there had been no such move since the Rizzutos themselves rose to prominence in the 1970s.
"It's a tsunami," said Antonio Nicaso, the author of several books on the Mafia.
"This is an unprecedented challenge to the Rizzuto crime family. . . Since (the 1970s) they were in charge of criminal activity in Montreal - without any challenge to their authority."
Nicaso says the move was made possible after a series of police operations wiped out a layer of the family's management, with Vito Rizzuto himself currently in a U.S. jail.
He says rivals sought to strike the Rizzutos when they were at their weakest.
Nicaso and other crime experts are now warning of an escalation in gangland violence.
"There will be, for sure, a retaliation," Nicaso said.
"The son - the eldest son - of Vito Rizzuto was killed. This is not just an ordinary member of the family."
Nicaso says the killing may be related to a string of recent firebombings of Italian coffee shops in Montreal, and could have been the work of street gangs.
He says the Rizzutos' decision to align themselves with some street gangs was a controversial one - not only within the Italian Mafia, but it also created enemies among the city's Haitian street gangs.
Police have charged a Haitian man in connection with the recent coffee-shop firebombings. And several witnesses Monday described the gunman as a young black man, wearing blue jeans and a hooded jacket.
Another expert on the Mob says he's not drawing any conclusions yet of a turf war pitting street gangs against the Italian Mafia.
"It's not because someone's black that a street gang was necessarily involved," said former RCMP investigator Pierre de Champlain.
"That means nothing. The person who ordered the killing could have been anyone."
Nicaso agrees. If the killing was ordered by someone closer to the Sicilian clan, he says, that person could easily have taken steps to camouflage his identity.
Monday's shooting happened over the lunch hour, with numerous witnesses watching in astonishment.
It occurred in one of the grittier parts of the city's NDG district, near an Italian restaurant, a convenience store, and the offices of a construction company reportedly linked to Rizzuto.
The 42-year-old victim was standing next to a black Mercedes SLK 320 when at least one gunman approached and fired several shots.
Witnesses say the victim crumpled into the fresh snow. Police arrived within minutes to pick him up and take him to hospital.
He was pronounced dead and became the city's 31st homicide victim this year.
Vito Rizzuto is in a medium-security prison in Colorado, serving a 10-year sentence for racketeering, relating to three underworld murders in Brooklyn in 1981.
A number of other family members were swept up in police operations in recent years.
One of those arrested - and since released - was another Nicolo (Nick) Rizzuto, the grandfather and namesake of Monday's victim.
Vito Rizzuto's son, Nick, gunned down in gangland-style killing
'Systemic failures'
CORNWALL PUBLIC INQUIRY: Comm. Glaude slams institutions in final report for letting down victims of abuse, Posted By KEVIN LAJOIE KLAJOIE@STANDARD-FREEHOLDER.COM
The Cornwall Public Inquiry has determined there were "systemic failures" in the institutional response to allegations of sexual abuse in the Cornwall area, however Comm. Normand Glaude stopped short of quashing the long-rumoured claims of a pedophile ring in his final report.
Glaude failed to make a final pronouncement on whether a pedophile ring existed in his final report, saying the issue was not fully explored and it was not within his mandate to make such a finding.
"The Ontario Provincial Police concluded (the) Project Truth (investigation) by saying there was no pedophile ring in Cornwall. Since they did not investigate this, they could not have reasonably come to this conclusion," said Glaude in a statement upon the release of his final report on Tuesday. "This does not mean that I find there was a ring of pedophiles. It is not my role to make such a finding. But I do find that no investigation provided conclusive evidence on this point."
Glaude did, however, quash rumours of a cover-up between Cornwall police and the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall over the $32,000 confidential settlement that was paid out by the diocese to David Silmser in 1992 over sex abuse allegations. The settlement included an "illegal clause" requiring Silmser to withdraw his criminal complaint against the priest, Rev. Charles MacDonald.
The allegations were eventually forwarded on to the Children's Aid Society by former Cornwall police Const. Perry Dunlop.
"All this led to community rumours and allegations of a conspiracy to cover up," Glaude said in his remarks.
The commissioner said he found no evidence of a conspiracy between city police and the diocese with respect to the Silmser settlement, however he stated the police service's investigation of the Silmser complaint -- and the illegal clause in the settlement -- was "deeply flawed."
As for his view on Dunlop's role in the whole affair, Glaude neither faulted nor praised the former city police officer, who spent seven months in jail on contempt charges for refusing to testify at the inquiry.
"In the course of this inquiry, I have been asked to find that Perry Dunlop is a hero. And that he is a villain. I do neither. His is a mixed legacy," the commissioner said.
Glaude also finds flaws in the OPP's Project Truth investigation, saying it lacked adequate funding and organizational support and failed to pursue all available evidence.
In his massive four-volume, 2,400-page final report, Glaude finds fault with the local probation office, police agencies, the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall and other institutions for their handling of historical sex abuse allegations, saying they were ill-equipped to deal with such situations.
Some institutions were reluctant to be forthright and own up to mistakes, "fearing scandal or criticism more than they feared the breach of their duty to the vulnerable and the public," he added.
"Sometimes these organizations looked for scapegoats instead of looking in the mirror."
The systemic failure to respond to allegations along with an insensitivity in dealing with complainants, a reluctance to act and "partial or non-existent" communication created opportunities for speculation, Glaude noted, and some media coverage of the Project Truth investigation and surrounding events only served to fan the speculation further.
"This community was simply not well served by those speculations," he told the large crowd that assembled at the Ramada Inn for the report's release.
Among his myriad recommendations, Glaude called on four institutions -- the diocese, the English public and Catholic school boards and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (which oversees probation services) -- to offer a public apology to confirmed victims and issue an appeal to local sex abuse victims to come forward and receive counseling and support.
"I ask them to undertake a response of respect, dignity and compassion," said the commissioner.
Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher wasted little time in acting on the commissioner's request as he took to the stage shortly after Glaude concluded his remarks and delivered an apology and an appeal.
The first phase of the inquiry yielded more than 150 recommendations for various institutions to act on. Among other things, they include more stringent reporting requirements for sex abuse allegations, improvements to professional training, implementing processes and protocols to ensure institutions give priority to sexual assault and abuse, support to complainants and better management of complex, multi-victim investigations and prosecutions.
The report also contains a five-year agenda for healing and reconciliation for Cornwall and S, D and G. Among other things, the second phase of the inquiry includes recommendations for unseling support, the establishment of a $5 million Reconciliation Trust Fund and the creation of new support centres in Cornwall.
Cornwall Deputy Police Chief Danny Aikman and S, D and G OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae both welcomed the commissioner's recommendations and said their respective agencies will be reviewing them in greater detail in the days and weeks ahead. Rae said the OPP has already enacted some changes -- such as better sexual abuse and sexual assault training for officers -- in response to the inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Phase 2 recommendations carry a number of price tags, and it will be up to the province to foot the bill should Queen's Park agree to enact the proposals.
Attorney General Chris Bentley said he will be actively reviewing the final report's contents before deciding whether to embrace the recommendations in full.
"Having just received the recommendations, we don't know when that will be," he told the Standard-Freeholder.
Bentley did not promise direct consultation when the ministry's intentions are ready "when (Glaude) already did that" during the inquiry hearings.
He said improvements will probably not be required through new laws, but rather revamped programs that serve victims and policies that shape institutions' "approach" to the issue.
"We're going to see how much support we need for victims in the future, and take the strongest possible approach to prosecutions," he added.
By moving ahead with the recommendations, Glaude said Cornwall can become a beacon of hope for other communities, and he believes the healing and reconciliation is already well underway.
"Cornwall is not a community eclipsed by the dark cloud of scandal. It is a community where the work of healing and reconciliation has started and where there are people of good intentions and sensitivity who are involved and eager to keep going," he said.
Established by the provincial government on April 14, 2005, the Cornwall Public Inquiry spanned nearly four years and 345 hearing days, making it one of the longest inquiry's in the province's history. The final tab for the commission is expected to surpass the $50-million mark.
For his part, the attorney general -- whose office was responsible for footing the inquiry's huge bill -- defended the cost.
"It was important for the victims . . . to have (this issue) receive a complete and full hearing," Bentley noted.
As for Glaude's request that changes be made to improve the efficiencies of public inquiries, Bentley said the Inquiry Act had been tweaked last week.
The report's release garnered mostly positive reviews from those in attendance at the Ramada Inn.
Dallas Lee, a lawyer for The Victims Group, said the majority of his 50 clients will be pleased with the outcome. Like Glaude, he's hoping the recommendations will become a reality.
"I'm hoping that part of the story doesn't get lost in the shuffle," he said. "It doesn't mean a whole lot if the recommendations are ignored."
Paul Scott of Citizen's for Community Renewal (CCR) said they will be putting pressure on the province to embrace the recommendations in the report.
"This is our opportunity," he said. "We're being given it on a silver platter."
Meanwhile, Dunlop's brother-in-law Carson Chisholm said he was impressed with some of the recommendations put forward, but he feels Glaude missed the boat by not pushing for more stringent legislation to protect whistleblowers.
"If they're treated one-tenth as badly as Dunlop was, they won't come forward," he said.
Article ID# 2223243
Peacha Atkinson Nina's Mom said "Nina's going to have a good Christmas and justice is served."
Top court ups manslaughter conviction to murder in Edmonton girl's sex slaying December 18, 2009, By Bob Weber, THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON - A legal decision from the Supreme Court of Canada is a strange kind of Christmas present, but the mother of the victim in a notorious Edmonton sex killing will take it.
"We're going to have a good Christmas," said Peacha Atkinson after the top court boosted the conviction against Stephanie Rosa Bird for the killing of her daughter Nina Courtepatte to first-degree murder from manslaughter.
"I've been kind of low for Christmas, but I got good news today so that kind of brings me up a bit."
Bird was one of five young self-described "mall rats" who lured Nina from the fast food outlets and video games of West Edmonton Mall with the promise of a bush party in the early hours of April 3, 2005. Instead, Nina - just 13 at the time - was taken to a muddy fairway on a golf course west of the city, raped twice and beaten to death with a sledgehammer.
The crime, seemingly motivated by thrill-seeking and boredom, horrified Edmonton and drew national headlines.
During the trials faced by the night's five participants, court heard details of a crime plotted two days in advance amidst an aimless teen subculture of hanging out, dining-and-dashing and mall-crawling.
Nina's assailants chose her from among the youths regularly found at one of the mall's food courts and convinced her and a friend to leave with them.
In court, all of the accused tried to lay blame on each other. But testimony suggested that Bird, who was 17 at the time of the killing, delivered the first blow, striking Nina on the head with a wrench. Bird also held Nina down while the first man raped her.
Bird left the scene before the fatal beating began, taking Nina's friend back to the car they had arrived in. Her lawyer, Colleen Connolly, argued that leaving the scene proved her client didn't want to be part of the killing, absolving her of first-degree murder.
In a unanimous judgment, however, the Supreme Court concluded there wasn't enough evidence that Bird had had a change of heart.
"As the facts found by the trial judge clearly establish that the murder was planned and deliberate, and involved the unlawful confinement of the victim at the time of the killing, a conviction for first-degree murder is entered," the ruling reads.
Prosecutor Susan Hughson said the court's decision was a vindication of the argument that the Crown had used all along.
"We were certainly pleased with the decision," she said. "We thought we had presented a really strong case at the trial, the Court of Appeal level and at the Supreme Court of Canada. Given the reasons they provided, they felt it was as strong as we felt it was."
Bird's case will go back to the original trial judge for sentencing. Although she was convicted as a young offender, she was sentenced as an adult on the manslaughter charge.
A second hearing may be held on whether Bird will face an adult sentence for first-degree murder. However, it is considered extremely unlikely that she would now be sentenced as a youth after having been convicted of a more serious crime. If sentenced again as an adult, Bird would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole eligibility for 10 years.
But Bird's sentencing won't be the end of the legal actions stemming from Nina's murder.
The Crown is appealing the decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal that Joseph Laboucan should get a new trial on his conviction for first-degree murder. Stephen Briscoe, originally acquitted in a 2007 trial, is trying to reverse an Alberta Appeal Court ruling that ordered his retrial.
The Supreme Court has already heard arguments in those appeals.
A third participant, who can't be named because of her age, is involved with three appeals at the provincial level. The Crown is appealing both her conviction and sentence for second-degree murder. The young woman is appealing her conviction.
The fifth participant in the killing pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Atkinson, who sat through almost every day of all five trials stemming from her daughter's murder, may be spending yet more time in court.
But on Friday, she was content to focus on what she called happy news.
"My kids left (this morning) and they said, 'Now you can have a better Christmas and be happy now,' " said Atkinson. "Nina's going to have a good Christmas and justice is served."
Chronology of events surrounding the Cornwall Public Inquiry
By The Canadian Press
CORNWALL, Ont. - A chronology of key events leading up to and including the Cornwall Public Inquiry:
1992: A 35-year-old former altar boy alleges he was sexually abused by probation officer Ken Seguin and Rev. Charles MacDonald when he was younger.
1993: The man reaches a settlement with the diocese for $32,000 and doesn't pursue charges against either man. Seguin commits suicide.
Sept. 1993: Police officer Perry Dunlop picks up the case, more people come forward to him with allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades. He becomes convinced it was the work of high-profile local officials operating a clandestine pedophile ring. By early 1994 he is on sick leave.
1996: Charles MacDonald charged with sexually abusing young people. Additional charges laid in 1998. But charges are stayed in 2002 after judge rules his right to a trial within a reasonable amount of time was violated.
1997: Provincial police launch Project Truth investigation and eventually lay 114 charges against 15 people, but find no evidence of a pedophile ring. The investigation lasts until 2001.
April 2005: Ontario government establishes Cornwall Public Inquiry, with a mandate to probe the responses of the justice system and public institutions to allegations of sexual abuse of young people in Cornwall.
February 2006: Inquiry begins hearing from witnesses
June 28, 2007: Ron Leroux tells inquiry he fabricated tale of clan of pedophiles who wore robes, burned candles and sexually abused young boys during weekend meetings in the 1950s and early 1960s.
November 2007: Perry Dunlop convicted of civil contempt of court for refusing to give evidence at inquiry.
Feb. 17, 2008: Perry Dunlop arrested for again failing to show up at inquiry. He is sentenced in March to six months in jail.
Sept. 3, 2008: Perry Dunlop sentenced to additional 30 days in jail for criminal contempt of court for refusing judge's order to appear at inquiry. He is freed from jail one month later.
Oct. 23, 2008: Ontario government steps in to set end date for inquiry. All evidence ordered heard by Jan. 31, 2009, report ordered due by July 31.
Feb. 23-27, 2009: Inquiry ends with closing submissions after four years and some 180 witnesses.
July 31, 2009: First report deadline passes, inquiry granted extension.
Oct. 15, 2009: Second report deadline passes, inquiry granted second extension.
Dec. 15, 2009: Commissioner G. Normand Glaude's report, a culmination of the four-year, $50-million process.
Pattern of behaviour; Unique dangerous-offender status hearing...
Friday, November 20th, 2009 Canwest News Service
During a five-day period in February 2007, Jean Guy Tremblay pretended he wanted to buy a car.
He would continually follow a Toronto saleswoman in and out of her office. He would stand next to her as she spoke to other customers, call to see if she would be working that day and on one occasion he removed snow from cars and cleared a pathway to her office.
Alarmed, the woman used Google to find out more about the man. The first thing that came up were his attempts in 1988 to get the Supreme Court of Canada to prevent his girlfriend, Chantal Daigle, from having an abortion.
In the past two decades, he has repeatedly continued a pattern of possessive behaviour toward women. He has been convicted of assaults, threats, harassment and unlawful confinement. The victims have ranged from girlfriends, female roommates and even a landlady, who was pushed down the stairs in a dispute over rent.
Today, as a result of a criminal harassment conviction that stems from the events at that Toronto car dealership, the 45-year-old man will attend a hearing that will determine whether he spends the rest of his life in prison.
Final arguments will be heard in Ontario Superior Court in a dangerous offender hearing initiated by the Crow. Tremblay's long history, though, raises unusual questions for this type of hearing.
His behaviour has followed a pattern. He would routinely befriend women with false stories such as being down on his luck after formerly playing in the NHL. He had a "repertoire of tragic and grandiose stories," stated one pre-sentence court document.
His record is replete with acts of violence and threats against women. At the same time, he has never been accused of a sexual offence and there are no convictions for crimes that normally lead to a dangerous-offender label.
The Ontario proceeding, before Superior Court Justice Andromache Karakatsanis, is the second time the Crown has asked for Tremblay to be designated a dangerous offender. Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Scott Brooker ruled against the Crown in 2000. The judge imposed a 66-month prison sentence for violent and controlling acts against a former girlfriend and female roommate.
Tremblay was also found to be a "long-term offender" and subjected to a 10-year supervision order, which is a form of probation. It was a breach of the terms of that order that landed him back in jail in 2007.
A dangerous offender designation "subjects an offender to the most severe consequences known to our law, save for the life sentences for murder," Judge Brooker said. While he was "a high risk to commit the same type of offences, there is no evidence the severity of his conduct will increase," the judge said.
At the hearing in Alberta nearly a decade ago, the court heard from Tremblay's mother. She said her son was a problem child and prescribed anti-depressants at age four. The son of a heavy drinker, Tremblay quit school at age 16 and was often supported as an adult by girlfriends and other women, the court heard.
Since the Alberta hearing, the criminal harassment charge is the only addition to his criminal record. Crown attorneys Rita Zaied and Joanne Stuart urge Judge Karakatsanis to look at the life-long "pattern" of behaviour by Tremblay, in the prosecution's arguments.
"Any suggestion that Mr. Tremblay can be treated is speculative. Any suggestion that Mr. Tremblay will 'burn out' is speculative," writes the Crown.
Defence lawyer Bob Richardson argued this fall during the dangerous offender proceeding that the Crown's position is too broad and his client's crimes do not merit this label.
"The Crown's position is basically that Mr. Tremblay is a danger to all women and therefore we have to lock him up," Mr. Richardson said. "Does this mean he should potentially be incarcerated for the rest of his life?"
JEAN GUY TREMBLAY CRIMINAL RECORD
1981 Extortion, put on probation.
1985 Theft Under $5,000, put on probation.
1988 Obstruct peace officer, 90 days in jail.
1989 Assault, $200 fine.
1991 Assault( two times), six-month sentence.
1995 Assault, 12-month sentence.
1996 Assault (two times), 15-month sentence.
1997 Threats/assault, 18-month sentence.
2000 Unlawful confinement (three times), harassment, utter threat, assault bodily harm, 66-month sentence, 10-year long-term supervision order.
2007 Criminal harassment, Crown seeking dangerous offender designation.
———
DANGEROUS OFFENDERS
– The first legislation to deal with "dangerous" offenders was called the Habitual Offenders Act, introduced back in 1947. It was followed a year later by the Sexual Psychopath Act, which included provisions for indeterminate sentences with parole hearings every three years.
– The modern version of the Dangerous Offenders Act was enacted in 1997, which created a second category known as a Long Term Offender, with a requirement for supervision after an offender wgot out of prison.
– Someone designated a dangerous offender would receive an indeterminate sentence and could not apply for parole until serving at least seven years in prison. An amendment in 2008 permitted the Crown to seek a specific length of sentence in a dangerous offender hearing.
– The designation is supposed to be reserved for the worst offenders, when it is considered the only option to ensure public safety. The policy guidelines for Alberta prosecutors for example, state that it should not be sought in "marginal" cases. "There must always be compelling reasons," for the Crown to ask a court to impose the dangerous offender label, says the policy book.
– As of 2006, there were more than 330 "dangerous offenders" in Canadian prisons. In contrast, 18 people previously designated as dangerous offenders had been released on supervised parole.
Shannon Kari, National Post
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women ......December 6th
On December 6th, 1989, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition and knives, Marc Lepine walked through l’École Polytechnique in Montreal, separated the men from the women, and then proceeded to shoot and kill 14 women while making anti-woman statements.
Thirteen others were wounded. Lepine, who eventually shot and killed himself, had applied for admission to the school and was rejected. In the suicide note he left behind, Lepine indicated that he saw feminists as being responsible for everything that had gone wrong in his life.
December 6, 2009, marks the 20th anniversary of what came to be known as the Montreal Massacre.
Events are held throughout the country to remember the 14 women who were killed at l'École Polytechnique:
Geneviève Bergeron, 21
Hélène Colgan, 23
Nathalie Croteau, 23
Barbara Daigneault, 22
Anne-Marie Edward, 21
Maud Haviernick, 29
Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, 31
Maryse Laganière, 25
Maryse Leclair, 23
Anne-Marie Lemay, 27
Sonia Pelletier, 23
Michèle Richard, 21
Annie St-Arneault, 23
Annie Turcotte, 21
In 1991, the Parliament of Canada declared December 6th to be the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. The day represents a time to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. bIt is also a day for communities and individuals to think about the concrete actions that each of us can take to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women.
Sask government argues in court for profits from murderer Colin Thatcher's book
December 3, 2009, By THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Saskatchewan government is trying to collect the profits from Thatcher's book Final Appeal : Anatomy of a Frame. Thatcher is a former Saskatchewan politician convicted for the murder of his ex-wife JoAnn Wilson.
REGINA - Convicted killer Colin Thatcher says the Saskatchewan government doesn't have the right to money from a book he wrote about his ex-wife's murder.
He told a court in Regina that a law the province rushed in earlier this year doesn't apply to him. That law says criminals can't profit from the recounting of their crimes.
But Thatcher says his book isn't about the murder of JoAnn Wilson - which he has always denied - but instead focuses on his dealings with the justice system.
Wilson was beaten and shot in the garage of her Regina home, just steps away from the Saskatchewan legislature, in 1983.
Thatcher spent 22 years in prison before he was released on parole in 2006.
New trial for Craig Bartholomew Legare...
Supreme Court orders new trial for man acquitted in online sex chats with 12-year-old...December 3, 2009, By THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - An Alberta man who admitted to sexual online chats with a 12-year-old girl, but was acquitted of Internet luring, must face a new trial.
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday upheld an appeal court ruling that ordered a new trial for Craig Bartholomew Legare. The high court said the trial judge was unduly constrictive in interpreting the law, which it said is an effort to close the Internet door to predators hunting children.
At a 2006 trial on two sexual luring counts, the judge called Legare'ss actions "despicable and repugnant," but said that since he had no intention of ever meeting the child, there was no crime.
The Alberta Court of Appeal overturned one of the two acquittals, saying Parliament had enacted an offence of communication, not of physical contact, in its Internet luring law.
The Supreme Court, in its 7-0 ruling, agreed with the appeal judges.
Legare admitted to posing as a 17-year-old in his chats with the girl in 2003. He was 32 at the time. She claimed to be 14, although she was actually 12.
Legare admitted to the sexual chats and to phoning the girl at home after she gave him her number. However, he said he had no intention of meeting nor did any sexual activity take place.
But Justice Morris Fish, writing for the Supreme Court, said there's more to the law than physical contact.
He said the law "makes it a crime to communicate by computer with underage children or adolescents for the purpose of facilitating the commission of the offences mentioned in its constituent paragraphs.
"In this context, 'facilitating' includes helping to bring about and making easier or more probable - for example, by 'luring' or 'grooming' young persons to commit or participate in the prohibited conduct; by reducing their inhibitions; or by prurient discourse that exploits a young person's curiosity, immaturity or precocious sexuality."
Fish said criminal chats need not be sexually explicit.
"Those who use their computers to lure children for sexual purposes often groom them online by first gaining their trust through conversations about their home life, their personal interests or other innocuous topics."
He said the Internet luring law creates what he called a "preparatory crime."
"It criminalizes conduct that precedes the commission of the sexual offences to which it refers, and even an attempt to commit them. Nor, indeed, must the offender meet or intend to meet the victim with a view to committing any of the specified secondary offences.
"This is in keeping with Parliament's objective to close the cyberspace door before the predator gets in to prey."
B.C. Crown lawyer in organized crime case given police protection
December 2, 2009, By THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER, B.C. - A Crown lawyer is getting some added police protection while spearheading a drug conspiracy trial involving two high-profile criminal gangs.
These are the same gangs police believe are partially behind a bullet-flying gang war earlier this year in Metro Vancouver that left dozens dead.
Prosecutor Martha Devlin was flanked by two plain-clothed RCMP officers Wednesday as she attended a hearing to fix a date for bail for Jarrod Bacon and his co-accused Arnold Scott.
Sgt. Bill Whalen, with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said no threats have been made in the case and the arrangement is simply a precaution.
Whalen said Devlin was threatened previously when she prosecuted an earlier Hells Angels trial.
The latest charges were laid in connection with a plan to import 100 kilos of cocaine from Mexico involving alleged members of both the Red Scorpions and the United Nations gang.
Whalen said police don't want to take any chances.
"Because, you know what, we're dealing with some very violent people." Whalen said.
Whalen claims the Red Scorpion gang and the UN gang have been involved in more overt violence in the past few years than the Hells Angels.
"We're providing her security to make sure there are no issues."
The conspiracy charges were laid last week.
Police also laid charges against UN gang leader Douglas Vanalstine and his fellow gang members Nicholas Wester and Daryl Johnson.
They are charged with conspiracy to traffic and possession for the purpose of trafficking drugs.
The charges were laid after an undercover operation targeted both rival gangs. During the operation, police say both groups conspired to import the cocaine from Mexico into Canada.
Jarrod's brother, James Bacon, faces one count of first-degree murder in connection to the murders of six people in a Surrey highrise in October 2007.
Another member of the Red Scorpion gang, Dennis Karbovanec, pleaded guilty in April to three counts of second-degree murder in connection to the same murders.
Police say a bad B.C. marijuana crop and a clamp-down on Mexican drug cartels fuelled all-out gang war over supply and turf.
Police at first denied the war, and later Vancouver Chief Const. Jim Chu admitted the area was in the middle of a "brutal" gang war that involved more than 100 shootings in recent years.
Since then, Metro Vancouver police have made dozens of arrests of alleged gang members on charges ranging from firearms possession to first-degree murder.
