2013 Olympic Plaza Random Murder

[chemgear]

Holy hell, this is crazy and horrible all at the same time. Totally random murder. Finally sentenced and he'll be free in less than two years from now.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/...f-innocent-man

But Neufeld said a number of mitigating factors, including Littlechild’s tragic aboriginal background warranted a reduction of two years.

Gladue was sitting on a bench in Olympic Plaza when he was approached by a heavily intoxicated Littlechild.

An unidentified acquaintance with Littlechild then handed him a knife and he slashed the victim’s throat and stabbed him another five times.

He also punched and stomped Gladue as he lay bleeding on the ground.

[Northendzone]

so the judge says this was a “near murder" - to me given the other guy is dead, I'd classify it as a spot on job.....

[Weitz]

This seems pretty crazy to me. He should be in jail longer.

[CaptainCrunch]

Pretty disgusting in that this judge called it a "near murder".

I'm also kind of getting sick of the whole, he was drunk at the time of the murder or he had a tragic childhood, I think that should mitigate in the type of sentence that the person gets and the treatments that are made available not in terms of the time served.

being drunk and killing someone or running someone over with your car or slapping your old lady around should be no excuse to me. all we're doing is giving a person a reason to believe that "Its not my fault".

He slit the mans throat, and then stabbed him multiple times, this wasn't an impulse murder at that point. Your a rage machine and your time away from society should probably be longer. Find a way to give him job skills in prison, make programs for criminals with problems more accessible. But don't say, "Hey man your life is sad so you can go".

[Muta]

Terrible. We don't reduce driving offences because someone was drunk when doing so, so why is this piece of scum getting leniency because of intoxication?

Oh right... He was only drunk at the time (he didn't mean to kill) and had a rough upbringing. He isn't such a bad guy.

Sickening.

[CliffFletcher]

Reduced sentencing for aboriginal background is a terrible undermining of our legal principles. Ultimately, it's going to foster the kind of animosity it's meant to redress.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Muta

Terrible. We don't reduce driving offences because someone was drunk when doing so, so why is this piece of scum getting leniency because of intoxication?

Oh right... He was only drunk at the time (he didn't mean to kill) and had a rough upbringing. He isn't such a bad guy.

Sickening.

You don't need to prove intent for a DUI to be a crime.

For murder 1 or 2 you need to prove intent.

I think this is one of the areas the justice system really fails. By letting him out this quickly even with a probationary period attached he will still likely commit more crimes. In cases like this the way we treat those with insanity defenses seems much better. You are in a facility until you are not a greater threat to the surrounding community.

I'd like to see increased sentences with a goal of rehabilitation and that being a factor in the release instead of the current time served.

Society loses by allowing him out in his current state.

[CaptainCrunch]

I've always wondered about the interpretation of intent.

When he slashed the guys throat it could have been an impulse crime, but when he stabbed the victim 5 times its pretty much a given that he intended to kill the victim.

I remember my dad being on a jury on a horrible murder case where a guy came home and found his wife and a friend in bed and he went to the kitchen and got a knife and went back in the room and killed his wife.

Those moments where he paused to go and get the knife was what moved him up to a guilty sentence in first degree murder. Those seconds of getting a weapon.

When you slash a guys throat and then proceed to stab him 5 more times and then continue to physically assault the victim, your intending to kill him.

[Huntingwhale]

I guess he's been rehabbed and rehabilitated.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Reduced sentencing for aboriginal background is a terrible undermining of our legal principles. Ultimately, it's going to foster the kind of animosity it's meant to redress.

You know the purpose of it has nothing to do with its public perception, right?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

You know the purpose of it has nothing to do with its public perception, right?

And you know the people most likely to be the victims of violent crimes committed by aboriginals are other aboriginals, right? So one of the perverse consequences of this policy is that men who sexually assault or murder aboriginal women will get lower sentences than men who sexually assault or murder non-aboriginal women.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

And you know the people most likely to be the victims of violent crimes committed by aboriginals are other aboriginals, right? So one of the perverse consequences of this policy is that men who sexually assault or murder aboriginal women will get lower sentences than men who sexually assault or murder non-aboriginal women.

The policy doesn't override existing articles in the criminal code. It's meant to be a consideration applied at the sentencing judge's discretion. In my opinion this judge got it wrong because I think public safety should supersede the consideration.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

It's meant to be a consideration applied at the sentencing judge's discretion.

I understand that. But let's say it's applied in 40 cases across Canada a year, in 30+ of those cases the victim will be an aboriginal.

The crazy thing is that someone is eventually going to dig up some statistics showing the perpetrators of violent crimes against aboriginal women get lower sentences than those who commit violent crimes against non aboriginal women, and there will be all kinds of outrage. Then someone will dig deeper into the numbers and show reduced sentencing for aboriginal offenders is responsible for the disparity. And the perversity of race-based justice will be evident.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I understand that. But let's say it's applied in 40 cases across Canada a year, in 30 of those cases the victim will be an aboriginal.

The crazy thing is that someone is eventually going to dig up some statistics showing the perpetrators of violent crimes against aboriginal women get lower sentences than those who commit violent crimes against non aboriginal women, and there will be all kinds of outrage. Then someone will dig deeper into the numbers and show reduced sentencing for aboriginal offenders is responsible for the disparity. And the perversity of race-based justice will be evident.

That's making a lot of assumptions.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

That's making a lot of assumptions.

Like what?

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Like what?

Well for one you're assuming the types of cases where this is going to be commonly applied in a statistically significant manner. Judges may be less likely to apply the policy in incidences of aboriginal on aboriginal crime or crime where the victims are aboriginal women, whether consciously or subconsciously.

On another note, aren't crimes against aboriginal women already statistically less likely to yield equivalent sentences to crimes against non-aboriginal women? Could have sworn I read that somewhere but I'm far too lazy to look it up, so it's definitely not a hill I'm prepared to die on.

[calgaryblood]

Canada's justice system at it again. What a joke.

I have zero problem with aboriginal sentencing being a little more lenient because of what they have went through but a crime this horrible should get the perp at least 20-25 years.

[Firebot]

Yeah...yet another criminal well protected in Canada under the guise of human rights. Remind me of this in 3 years once he's out and gets into another near murder while intoxicated. Being intoxicated while a member of a certain race seem to be a free pass to do anything.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/...ttack-on-woman

Remember her? Goes out easy after pushing someone to their death onto an incoming train while intoxicated. Not long after, back in jail for a severe assault that likely would have been a murder. Oh wait, 'near murder' since she was intoxicated.

She then punched the victim and pulled her hair and repeatedly beat the woman, at one point digging her fingers into her eyeballs.

Mason agreed with defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli and Crown prosecutor Pam McCluskey that Pasqua’s rehabilitation is dependent on her wanting to deal with her drug and alcohol addictions.

“I can only assume that when you are not intoxicated you are a pleasant person,” Mason said, addressing Pasqua directly.

“When you are intoxicated you are a violent menace.”

Remember, she's the true victim here because she's an addict. She's likely already out of jail for the 2nd incident based on her credits.

[llwhiteoutll]

A big part of the problem in these specific cases is that Canada's justice system is not colour blind as it should be. When you stay out with the intent to be biased based on race, the system has no chance to work

[81MC]

If someone I loved was randomly murdered for nothing and this was the judgement, I suspect both the perpetrator and the judge would have some bad days.