Latest news with #CentralDistrictCourt
The Star
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
South Korea ex-president back in court for criminal trial
Supports of South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol stand to call for the cancellation of his removal in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, April 21, 2025. -- AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon SEOUL (AFP): South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court Monday (April 21) for the second hearing of his criminal trial to defend himself against insurrection charges over his short-lived declaration of martial law. Yoon was formally stripped of office earlier this month, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He became South Korea's first sitting head of state to be arrested in January in connection with the criminal case against him, although he was later released on procedural grounds. Yoon's court appearance on Monday is the first time media were allowed to film the former president's criminal trial, where he was seated in the defendant's chair before proceedings began. Dressed in a suit and red tie, Yoon appeared indifferent as photographers captured him seated in the courtroom. During the first day of his criminal trial last week, the ex-president defended himself in court, speaking for more than 90 minutes, denying that he had committed insurrection. If found guilty, Yoon would become the third South Korean president to be found guilty of insurrection -- after two military leaders in connection with a 1979 coup. For charges of insurrection, Yoon could be sentenced to life in prison or the maximum penalty: the death sentence. But it is highly unlikely that sentence would be carried out. South Korea has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997. Separately, last week police attempted to raid Yoon's former presidential office and his security detail as part of a probe into "alleged obstruction of an arrest warrant execution," but failed after presidential security denied them permission to enter the residence. Yoon spent weeks holed up in his compound in January, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service who had remained loyal to him. His guards had installed barbed wire and barricades at the residence, forcing hundreds of police officers and investigators to use ladders and scale perimeter walls to reach the main building. At the time, he was booked on charges of obstruction, with police saying last week that "in principle", an in-person investigation would be necessary. - AFP
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
South Korea begins criminal insurrection trial of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol
South Korea begins criminal insurrection trial of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol argued that his brief martial law declaration late last year was "not a coup d'etat" as he appeared in court on Monday for the start of a criminal trial over charges that he led an insurrection. The martial law attempt, which lasted about six hours before Yoon backed down in the face of parliamentary opposition and public protests, plunged the country into months of turmoil and led to the Constitutional Court removing him from the presidency this month for violating constitutional powers. After leaving his house in a motorcade on Monday, Yoon, who has denied all charges against him, entered the Seoul Central District Court wearing a dark navy suit and red tie. At the start of proceedings, prosecutors presented their case by arguing Yoon lacked the legal grounds to declare martial law and accused him of trying to paralyse state institutions such as parliament. More: South Korean court removes President Yoon Suk Yeol from office "The defendant … made it impossible for constitutional institutions to exercise their authority based on an unlawful declaration," the prosecution said. Yoon, who was the country's chief prosecutor before becoming president, defended himself in court, talking at length to refute the prosecution's allegations. "Martial law is not a coup d'etat," Yoon said. He denied paralysing the government and said martial law was needed to alert the people to how the majority opposition party was stonewalling government by impeaching more than 20 officials, which he saw as dangerous. "This was a peaceful 'message martial law' to the nation… I knew this martial law would end within half-a-day, a day," Yoon said. More: South Korea sets snap presidential election for June 3, drawing out contenders Yoon said although he had communicated this intention to ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, military officials carrying out the order seemed to have overstepped it because they were used to training for martial law under different guidelines. INSURRECTION CHARGE Two senior military officers took the witness stand in the afternoon. Both of them, including Cho Sung-hyun from the army's capital defence command, testified that they were ordered by their superior officer to send troops to "drag" lawmakers out of parliament during Yoon's martial law order. Yoon denied this allegation, saying he had not given such an order. The martial law declaration, which cited the need to root out "anti-state" elements, was lifted after parliamentary staffers used barricades and fire extinguishers to ward off special operations soldiers trying to enter parliament, where lawmakers voted to reject martial law. The charge of masterminding insurrection faced by the impeached leader is punishable by life imprisonment or even death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades. Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3 shocked South Koreans, and created chaos in all areas of society, the economy and foreign policy, the Constitutional Court said when ruling to remove him from office. The upheaval has further exposed deep social rifts between conservatives and liberals and increased pressure on institutions and the military, which had found itself in a quandary over whether to enforce martial law. The former president returned to his private home on Friday from the official residence, with crowds of conservative supporters turning out to greet his motorcade. Yoon moved back with his wife and their pets to their apartment, only a few hundred metres away from the Seoul court where he scored major legal wins as a prosecutor, such as convicting another impeached president Park Geun-hye. He remains defiant and has pledged to "stand by" his supporters. The opposition Democratic Party slammed Yoon on Monday as delusional for not making any sincere apology. More: Amid new Trump era, South Korea considers 'plan B' – building its own nuclear weapons The country will now hold a snap election on June 3. Questions remain over whether Yoon might still play a role. Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader who is leading presidential polls, on Monday visited a start-up that develops artificial intelligence chips, pledging to ease regulations with aggressive investments in the AI industry. Hong Joon-pyo, a former prosecutor who lost in the conservative party's primary to Yoon for the previous presidential election, announced that he would run again for the president. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Writing by Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies, Josh Smith, Sonali Paul, Gerry Doyle and Kate Mayberry)
USA Today
10-04-2025
- USA Today
Charges dropped against Massachusetts college students over alleged 'catch a predator' plot
Hear this story Kidnapping and conspiracy charges against five Assumption University students accused of being part of a plan to "catch a predator' in October have been dropped. Charges were dropped against Kelsy Brainard, 18; Kevin Carroll, 18; Easton Randall, 19; Joaquin Smith, 18; and Isabella Trudeau, 18, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY and the Worcester County District Attorney. 'The kidnapping and conspiracy charges against all five of these defendants were dismissed by Worcester Central District Court Judge Michael Allard-Madaus,' Lindsay Corcoran, spokesperson for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office, told USA TODAY Thursday morning in a statement. Corcoran said the court cannot provide details on the other defendant, a juvenile. Kelsy Brainard, Kevin Carroll still facing criminal charges Brainard is still facing a charge of intimidating a witness, police, or court official, Corcoran said, adding that Carroll is still facing a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Christopher S. Todd, a lawyer representing Brainard, said Thursday morning that the team is 'very pleased that the court applied the law properly in this case.' 'We look forward to resolving this matter, and hopefully everybody can move on with their lives,' he said. Robert J. Iacovelli, who is representing Trudeau, said Thursday that the case was simply about 'the judge applying the law and recognizing there just simply wasn't enough there.' Lawyers for Carroll, Randall, and Smith did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment Thursday morning. Kelsy Brainard said 'a creepy guy came to campus' to meet a 17-year-old girl The man campus police said was falsely labeled a sexual predator is a 22-year-old U.S. Army member who was visiting from North Carolina, reported the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY network. The students involved were accused of assaulting the man on the Assumption University campus on Oct. 1, university police wrote in court documents. The man allegedly met a student on the dating app Tinder. Investigators spoke to Brainard, who told them "a creepy guy came to campus looking to meet an underage girl' who he believed was 17, the documents show. She said she texted Randall to come and help her, and Randall chased the man off campus. Brainard later told investigators her profile listed her age as 18, and when confronted about her story having discrepancies, she "acknowledged that to be true," documents show. Tinder date said a group of 25 or more ambushed him on campus According to court documents, the man called Worcester police for help after the incident. When officers met with him, he said he was in the area to attend his grandmother's funeral and wanted to "be around people that were happy." He said he had been communicating with Brainard on Tinder and they planned to "try and hook up." When she invited him to come and meet her at Alumni Hall, he said she let him inside the building. Suddenly, a group of 25 or more people showed up and started saying he 'liked having sex with 17-year-old girls,' court documents show. The man said he got scared when group members began holding him back and wouldn't let him leave, but once he broke free, he was attacked, according to the court documents. He said he eventually made it back to his car where the group punched him in the back of the head, slammed his car door on his head and kicked his vehicle, the documents say. He called the police when he was able to drive away, and according to the court documents, Carroll later confessed that he slammed the man's head in the car door. Surveillance footage shows incident on campus Investigators viewed surveillance footage starting just after 10:30 p.m. that night. The footage showed Brainard leading the man into the building and down a set of stairs to the lounge area, court documents read. Eventually, the footage showed the man running up the stairs as a group of people chased him with their phones out. The group later re-entered the frame laughing and high-fiving each other, court documents show. Investigators also found footage circulating online of first-hand recordings of the incident, court documents say. According to police who reviewed the Tinder messages between the man and Brainard, nothing indicated that he was looking to meet minors, and the profile he interacted with listed the individual's age as 18. Investigators said the ordeal was inspired by a "catching a predator" trend on social media, particularly TikTok, where content creators chat with adults online and pretend to be minors. When the adults show up to meet, the content creators confront them about their conversations and attempts to meet. The trend is similar to the format of the Dateline NBC show 'To Catch a Predator,' hosted by Chris Hansen, which originally ran from 2004 to 2007. Group member used the term 'underage' and things got out of hand: Defendant In the Assumption University case, investigators spoke to Randall, who said he worked with Brainard, Trudeau, Smith, Carroll, and an unnamed boy from start to finish on the "to catch a predator" plot. It all began when Brainard began chatting with the man on Tinder, Randall said, adding that it was similar to the trend where people "catch a predator and either call police or kick their (expletive)." Randall said they already had a group chat for Alumni Hall residents on the third floor and eventually used that chat to talk about the man on Tinder. A group chat member named 'Smitty' mentioned the term "underage,' causing a "mass of people' to gather. Randall also admitted texting "you have to come down here," and "we're catching a predator," court documents show. Assumption University said in a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday that what the students are accused of doing does not represent the school. 'The Assumption University Police Department … fulfilled its duty as an accredited law enforcement agency by filing charges describing the facts of the incident,' the university said. Contributing: Brad Petrishen, Worcester Telegram & Gazette Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Jordan News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Due to Fatigue, Netanyahu Requests Suspension of His Corruption Trial Session - Jordan News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday, requested the Central District Court in Tel Aviv to suspend the session of his corruption trial due to feeling fatigued, a request which was granted by the judges. Typically, sessions last for several hours, but after about three hours of the session, Netanyahu requested a break. اضافة اعلان This session marks the 22nd time Netanyahu has appeared in court to respond to the charges against him. He had gone straight to the court after arriving from the United States, where he met with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Netanyahu's defense attorney, Amit Hadad, stated that his client was "exhausted after a long trip," and that it would be in the court's best interest not to have him testify in such a state. Channel 12 in Israel also pointed out that the session began less than two hours after Netanyahu arrived from the United States. The court had previously rejected a request to postpone his appearance due to his travel to the U.S. During the court session, Netanyahu reiterated his denial of the charges, claiming that the investigations against him were "contaminated" and that the accusations were "false." He expressed his frustration, saying, "I feel like I'm living in East Germany or Tehran," referring to what he described as a "dark regime." Netanyahu faces charges of corruption and bribery in several cases, including "File 1000," which involves receiving gifts from wealthy businessmen, "File 2000," which relates to negotiations with the publisher of "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper for favorable media coverage, and "File 4000," which involves providing benefits to the owner of the "Walla" news site in exchange for positive media coverage. These cases began in 2020 and are still ongoing.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Court documents: Suspects in Worcester double murder left scene carrying large bags
WORCESTER — One of three men charged in the November fatal shooting of two people at a Brookside Avenue apartment complex was arraigned in Central District Court Tuesday. The three were allegedly involved in the shooting deaths of a man and a woman at the Tatnuck Square Apartments, off Mill Street, the evening of Nov. 21. Sheldon D. Thorpe, 22, of Fall River, is charged with two counts of murder. Tuesday, Judge Timothy M. Bibaud entered a not guilty plea on the defendant's behalf. Thorpe is also charged with two counts of armed assault to rob, firearm, possession of firearms in a felony, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without a FID card, for which he was arraigned Monday. He is being held without bail. Thorpe, who listened to the charges against him Tuesday behind an open door, is due back in court for a probable cause hearing May 22. Thorpe's alleged accomplices — Shaquille Watford, 31, of Brockton, and Jeffrey S. Toney, 29, of Attleboro — were arraigned Friday on the same five non-murder charges. Watford and Toney are back in court Thursday to be arraigned on the two murder charges. Thorpe was apprehended Monday and Watford was taken into custody Thursday. Toney was already in custody on unrelated charges. Shortly before 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21, police were dispatched for a report of gunshots, according to Sgt. Shane M. Marcotte's report. Police entered the apartment and located a man and woman suffering from gunshot wounds. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Autopsies determined that one victim had four gunshot wounds and the other had had eight, according to Marcotte's report. Marcotte noted in his report that five spent shell casings located inside the apartment could only have been discharged from an assault rifle. Detectives learned that Thorpe and his accomplices left Stoughton in a rented 2023 Toyota RAV-4 with a New Jersey registration. Upon arriving in Worcester, they entered one victim's apartment with an assault rifle, according to Marcotte's report. Seven shots were discharged, striking both victims several times, Marcotte's report states. The suspects left the apartment with large bags. U.S. currency and packages containing a green leafy substance, believed to be marijuana, were strewn about the floor, according to Marcotte's report. Investigators were able to track the suspects' movement through surveillance footage, GPS information related to the vehicle and witness testimony, according to court documents. Text messages and social media posts between one of the victims and Watford and Toney showed they knew each other. The investigation involved police from Worcester, Weymouth, Fall River and Boston, as well as the U.S. Marshal's Office and the state police. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Sheldon Thorpe one of 3 charged in Worcester double murder
