Latest news with #CBCInvestigates
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Serial rapist Sofyan Boalag sues after being stabbed in N.B. prison, left unable to walk
A man who terrorized women in St. John's in 2012 is now suing the federal government, saying he'll never walk again after being stabbed at a prison in Renous, N.B. Sofyan Boalag's statement of claim says he was incarcerated at the Atlantic Institution on Feb. 3, 2023, when prison staff opened the doors to all cells in one corridor simultaneously so inmates could line up for medication. Boalag says he was attacked from behind and stabbed repeatedly. "The plaintiff says that his injuries were catastrophic in nature, rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life," reads the statement of claim, filed in Federal Court on Jan. 20. Boalag was convicted of raping two women and a 15-year-old girl in Newfoundland during the summer and fall of 2012. There were six complainants in total, with women describing how he choked them unconscious and threatened them with a knife on city streets in the early hours of the morning. His spree led to widespread fear in the downtown core and a police warning prior to his arrest in December 2012. Boalag was convicted in 2016, and declared a dangerous offender by the courts — resulting in an indeterminate prison sentence. WATCH | CBC Investigates reporter Ryan Cooke breaks down the latest on Sofyan Boalag's new lawsuit: "I am not satisfied that there is a reasonable expectation that the public can be adequately protected from Mr. Boalag by a measure less than an indeterminate sentence," Judge Pamela Goulding said in her decision. Boalag appealed that decision all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which rejected his request in 2021. Prison staff failed on multiple levels, lawsuit alleges According to the lawsuit, filed by Halifax-area lawyer Laura Neilan on behalf of Boalag, the inmates were released from their cells that day to line up for medication. Boalag says he was approached from behind, and didn't see the attack coming. He says correctional officers failed to intervene in a timely fashion, leaving him vulnerable to multiple stabs from a "sharp weapon." The lawsuit says the attacker was a man with "pre-indicators of violence" toward Boalag. It alleges prison staff failed to prevent weapons from entering the facility, failed to search inmates before allowing them to line up, and ignored internal policy by letting multiple inmates out of their cells at the same time. Atlantic Institution is a maximum security facility in Renous, N.B. (CBC News) The lawsuit also says the prison failed to ensure "appropriate staffing levels and trained personnel" were in place, and failed to "properly classify and house dangerous or incompatible inmates." The federal government has yet to file a statement of defence. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, a spokesperson for Correctional Service Canada said they are aware of a case involving Boalag, but said the agency cannot comment while it's before the courts. "CSC employees are trained and are expected to carry out their duties with professionalism, in full compliance with our policies, procedures – and of course, the law," the spokesperson wrote. "CSC does not tolerate any breach of these standards, and all allegations are thoroughly investigated, regardless of the source." According to the lawsuit, Boalag is currently housed at a correctional facility in Ontario. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Serial rapist Sofyan Boalag sues after being stabbed in N.B. prison, left unable to walk
A man who terrorized women in St. John's in 2012 is now suing the federal government, saying he'll never walk again after being stabbed at a prison in Renous, N.B. Sofyan Boalag's statement of claim says he was incarcerated at the Atlantic Institution on Feb. 3, 2023, when prison staff opened the doors to all cells in one corridor simultaneously so inmates could line up for medication. Boalag says he was attacked from behind and stabbed repeatedly. "The plaintiff says that his injuries were catastrophic in nature, rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life," reads the statement of claim, filed in Federal Court on Jan. 20. Boalag was convicted of raping two women and a 15-year-old girl in Newfoundland during the summer and fall of 2012. There were six complainants in total, with women describing how he choked them unconscious and threatened them with a knife on city streets in the early hours of the morning. His spree led to widespread fear in the downtown core and a police warning prior to his arrest in December 2012. Boalag was convicted in 2016, and declared a dangerous offender by the courts — resulting in an indeterminate prison sentence. WATCH | CBC Investigates reporter Ryan Cooke breaks down the latest on Sofyan Boalag's new lawsuit: "I am not satisfied that there is a reasonable expectation that the public can be adequately protected from Mr. Boalag by a measure less than an indeterminate sentence," Judge Pamela Goulding said in her decision. Boalag appealed that decision all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which rejected his request in 2021. Prison staff failed on multiple levels, lawsuit alleges According to the lawsuit, filed by Halifax-area lawyer Laura Neilan on behalf of Boalag, the inmates were released from their cells that day to line up for medication. Boalag says he was approached from behind, and didn't see the attack coming. He says correctional officers failed to intervene in a timely fashion, leaving him vulnerable to multiple stabs from a "sharp weapon." The lawsuit says the attacker was a man with "pre-indicators of violence" toward Boalag. It alleges prison staff failed to prevent weapons from entering the facility, failed to search inmates before allowing them to line up, and ignored internal policy by letting multiple inmates out of their cells at the same time. Atlantic Institution is a maximum security facility in Renous, N.B. (CBC News) The lawsuit also says the prison failed to ensure "appropriate staffing levels and trained personnel" were in place, and failed to "properly classify and house dangerous or incompatible inmates." The federal government has yet to file a statement of defence. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, a spokesperson for Correctional Service Canada said they are aware of a case involving Boalag, but said the agency cannot comment while it's before the courts. "CSC employees are trained and are expected to carry out their duties with professionalism, in full compliance with our policies, procedures – and of course, the law," the spokesperson wrote. "CSC does not tolerate any breach of these standards, and all allegations are thoroughly investigated, regardless of the source." According to the lawsuit, Boalag is currently housed at a correctional facility in Ontario. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
30-01-2025
- Health
- CBC
A post-pandemic spike in drug deaths continued in N.L. last year. The biggest culprit? Cocaine
On the day he sold his pickup truck, Jeff Bourne looked at the passenger seat and counted all the people who once rode with him that are no longer living. He stopped after 30. Bourne, who runs the peer support group U-Turn Addiction Recovery in Carbonear, N.L., has been losing more friends lately than ever before. "They're not bad people. They're just sick people that's trying to get well." At least 74 people died from consuming drugs in Newfoundland and Labrador last year, eclipsing 2023's record of 73 deaths. Of the total number of drug deaths last year, 61 were deemed accidental, nine were suicides and four were undetermined. The numbers, which were shared with CBC Investigates by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, show cocaine was the deadliest drug in the province, contributing to 34 deaths. Fentanyl was the key factor in 17 deaths, while benzodiazapines were found to be at fault in 14 deaths. Tammy Bourne — peer support lead at U-Turn — said there was a shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is now factoring into the fatalities they're experiencing. "We've had a lot of people who had a lot of long-term recovery in, and went back out using during the pandemic because of the stress and the isolation," she said. "We've had a lot of deaths of people who've been coming around for a long time. We've had a lot of deaths since the pandemic." That's backed up by the numbers, which show the number of accidental drug deaths nearly doubled in 2023, coming down only slightly in 2024. Opioids and stimulants a dangerous mix, says medical examiner There were more than 550 autopsies in Newfoundland and Labrador last year. Of those, 13 per cent were from drug deaths. The bulk of those were performed by the province's Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Nash Denic. Some were obvious — people found with drug paraphernalia and signs of long-term drug use, like a road map leading to the cause of death. Others were more complicated, showing only internal hints of drug use later confirmed by toxicology results. Opioids remain top of mind for harm reduction advocates and grab the majority of attention in the news, but Denic said people should always be cognizant of cocaine's risks. "Individuals have to know cocaine is still [the] most dangerous drug, and the reason being is that we don't have an antidote," Denic said. An opioid overdose can be reversed with naloxone, but cocaine cannot. Fifteen of the 74 total deaths last year involved a stimulant, such as cocaine, and an opioid taken together. Denic said in many of those cases naloxone was administered, but it did not revive the person. "They may have fentanyl on board, but they also may have cocaine. And the cocaine is going to be the substance that is going to kill the individual, so the Narcan will not help." Jeff and Tammy Bourne switch into different modes depending on what they're doing on a given day. As people, they have lived experience with addiction and mental illness. As peer support workers, they share those experiences with others to make them feel more like friends, and less like clients. But, when someone dies, they have to take on a different, almost parental role, to help others get through it without relapsing. That's taking a toll on the couple as of late. "We don't really have an amount of time for us to grieve," Jeff Bourne said.
