I spent many years as 630 CHED’s court reporter and I saw judgments I could applaud and some I just could not get my head around.
I had to comfort myself with the knowledge that the people who write the laws know more than the rest of us.
Now, look at what happened in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
A homeless woman named Marlene Bird was found barely alive in a parking lot in June 2015. She had been beaten and set on fire.
Both of her legs had to be amputated and she needed several skin graft surgeries and she can barely see.
She uses a wheelchair now and court was told how difficult it is for her to do basic things most of us take for granted.
A man named Leslie Black pleaded guilty to attempted murder and has just had a dangerous offender hearing.
His lawyer argued that although what his client did was brutal, that he beat her and set her on fire, that does not mean he would do it again – and you need a pattern to be a dangerous offender.
The judge agreed, and the man will not be locked up indefinitely.
Remember, the lawmakers know more than the rest of us.
They do, don’t they?
Let me know what you think.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations and a commentator for Global News.
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