Latest news with #KenLee
Toronto Sun
02-08-2025
- Toronto Sun
MANDEL: Eight swarming girls, not one sentenced to further jail time in slaying of Ken Lee
With the final teen sentenced, all received different periods of probation for the heinous 2022 killing of a homeless man Get the latest from Michele Mandel straight to your inbox Ken Lee, centre, seen here with his family, was stabbed to death during a swarming in downtown Toronto on Dec. 18, 2022. Photo by Handout / GoFundMe Rowdy, drunk and high, the wild pack of troubled young girls met up at Yorkdale before hopping on the subway to head downtown. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account By the end of the night, after what a judge would call 'brazen, feral and immature' attacks on other commuters, being thrown out of TTC stations, and shoplifting, the vicious girls savagely swarmed a defenceless homeless man across from Union Station, leaving him with a fatal stab wound to the heart and 19 injuries from blunt-force trauma. And for that, not one would be sentenced to more time in custody than what they had already spent before being released on bail. It was around midnight – five days before Christmas 2022 – when Kenneth Lee, 59, arrived at the narrow parkette at the corner of Front and York Sts. with his partner Erika Tong, who was staying at the nearby shelter in the Strathcona Hotel. When he left her alone for a few minutes, the teens harassed Tong and stole her bottle of booze. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Lee returned, he told the girls to leave her alone. They pounced on him seconds later – three minutes and 20 seconds of senseless mob violence that unfolded in three waves that killed the man and shocked the city. None of these girls, aged 13 to 16 at the time, can be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. All were arrested for second-degree murder, seven would plead guilty to lesser charges, and the eighth would be acquitted of murder at her judge-alone trial and convicted instead of manslaughter. All spent time in custody before sentencing – but none would get further jail time after both Ontario Court Justice David Rose and Superior Court Justice Philip Campbell found their rights were violated by unwarranted strip searches while in youth detention. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Six of the girls had the gall to argue that their charges should be thrown out because of the Charter violations – which both judges rejected, saying a sentence reduction was the more appropriate remedy. These teens, though, were never going to be locked up for as long as some in the outraged public would demand. The YCJA requires judges to recognize the diminished moral culpability of kids under 18 to reflect uncontradicted evidence that their brains are not fully developed and they're more susceptible to peer pressure – and more susceptible to positive change with the right counselling. In the end, the longest any of the girls spent in custody for the horrific beating and stabbing of a vulnerable homeless man was credited at 20 months. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ken Lee, who died after being stabbed in downtown Toronto, allegedly by a group of teenaged girls. Photo by Handout / Toronto Police Just after 9:30 pm on Dec. 17, 2022, the 13-year-old was seen with the other girls on the Yorkdale Subway platform running with a blue-handled knife. After play fighting, she handed the knife off to another in the group as they all boarded the southbound train to St. George. She admitted lunging and yelling at two male passengers and chasing them down the platform. She and her friends got kicked out of the station – only to re-enter and harass another passenger before catching the subway to St. Andrew. At the downtown station, she admitted trying to assault two women, but she was restrained by some of her friends – though she doesn't recall that part of the night. By 11:53 pm, the group arrived in the parkette at the foot of University Ave. A security video camera mounted on an office building captured the entire attack. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The judge found she was a 'very active participant in the swarming. She was aggressive throughout, landing multiple punches on Mr. Lee,' but she didn't have a weapon or deliver the fatal stab to the heart. Diagnosed with a Persistent Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder (which is in early remission), and Conduct Disorder, her parents split when she was five years old. At 12, she began smoking marijuana daily. She also seriously abused alcohol: She was hospitalized after attempting suicide by alcohol poisoning and in the months before the swarming, she blacked out five to six times. According to her pre-sentence report, she regretted the incident but also believed Lee put his hand on one of the girls and deserved to be beaten. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While initially in custody, she was strip searched six times, and briefly left totally naked on four occasions. To comply with a judicial order banning the strip searches, she was then placed in segregation for 24 hours. After her release on bail, she was rearrested in February 2024 on charges she stabbed a TTC commuter at Wilson station – to which she later pleaded guilty. She was the first to plead guilty to manslaughter in the OCJ on May 30, 2024. Rose credited her with 15 months in custody for the 218 days she actually spent in open custody and 53 days in closed, and sentenced her to 21 months probation in the Intensive Support and Supervision Program (ISSP). 'I find (she) is at a real risk to re-offend violently if she is not given the benefit of extensive treatment and counselling in the next few years,' Rose said at the time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More The teen with the long ponytail and fake eyelashes admitted that at the tender age of 13, she kicked Lee, threw a plastic water bottle at him and ' forcefully ' hit him twice in the head area with a green bag as he lay ' crumpled on the ground having just collapsed after being swarmed and attacked ' and ' was trying to protect his head from the onslaught of kicks, stomps and punches ' still being rained down on him by the others. She pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm i n the OCJ on June 4, 2024, ahead of her trial. Taking her three strip searches into account, Rose sentenced her to 12 months probation on Sept. 24, 2024. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She was 14 and one of the ringleaders when she joined up with the marauding teens creating mayhem on the subway and hit a woman outside the TTC's St. Andrews subway station. She stole a swig of booze from Tong and c ontinually hit Lee with her white shopping bag of ice. ' And even after he's on the ground and adults are breaking it off, she's still stomping on his head, ' Crown attorney Sarah De Filippis would say. ' She was one of the most violent in the group. She was dedicated to this attack and she was relentless, even to the last minutes when he was crumpled on the ground. ' Still frighteningly clueless, t he pigtailed teen had no remorse and minimized her role to an almost ' ludicrous degree,' the prosecutor said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Apprehended at nine months by child protection and raised by her loving grandmother, she was physically assaulted and sexually abused by her peers, with both incidents uploaded to social media, and she's been diagnosed with PTSD, ADHD and marijuana abuse and ' normalized stealing,' Rose said in his judgment. More concerning, he said, is her ' disturbing complete lack of acceptance of responsibility ' in comments she made in a court report: she called Lee ' a piece of s—, ' said ' I don't care ' about what happened, and it was ' not that serious ' to warrant a plea to manslaughter. Yet, she wrote an apology letter to the court and told her probation officer she feels bad for what she did. She ' tells different versions about this event depending on who she is speaking to, ' the judge concluded. ' Her acceptance of responsibility is nowhere near complete. ' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She pleaded guilty on June 24, 2024 to manslaughter and was sentenced Jan 28, 2025 to two years probation under the ISSP. She was credited with 15 months in pre-sentence custody after being strip searched seven times. RECOMMENDED VIDEO GIRL 4 (vise grips girl) The 13-year-old who met up with the other girls at Yorkdale subway station around 9 p.m. was smoking marijuana daily and was 'blackout drunk.' On the subway she was seen brandishing a pair of vise grip pliers and was part of an assault on two women at St. Andrews station. At the parkette, she w ielded the vise grips during her assault on Lee, hitting him from above about the head and upper torso area while he was pinned against a concrete wall. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the OCJ on June 17, 2024. She was sentenced by Rose to a 15-month ISSP probation order on Sept. 16, 2024, after serving 243 days of pre-sentence custody, being strip searched seven times and flown in the middle of the night 1,900 km away to Kenora when the sprinklers malfunctioned at Marjorie Amos detention centre in Brampton. The 16-year-old had been consuming Crown Royal and marijuana that night and was seen trying to stop some of the girls from assaulting strangers as they headed downtown. She was only involved in the last 23 seconds of the assault on Lee by raising a pylon over her head and hitting him with it three times. She went on trial for second-degree murder in the Superior Court of Justice earlier this year. Just as lawyers were scheduled to present closing arguments, she was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter on Feb. 18 after the Crown made the surprising acknowledgment that prosecutors couldn't prove murder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ' No words can undo what happened, ' she told the court in her apology letter. ' My actions took away something sacred, something irreplaceable. ' Campbell sentenced her on May 16 to 15 months probation after she spent 288 days in custody and underwent six strip searches. RECOMMENDED VIDEO GIRL 6 (the bottle stealer) The 16-year-old pulled the hair of two Asian women on the subway ride downtown that night and unwittingly set the swarming in motion when she stole the bottle of booze from Tong. She admitted throwing a cup at Lee during the attack and filming his bloodied face before leaving the parkette. When she returned after the deadliest part of the assault, a shelter worker asked her to flag down an ambulance, which she did. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Her lawyer told the court she's finally on track to graduate from high school with hopes of attending college. Her trial for manslaughter was to begin May 5, 2025, in Superior Court but she pleaded guilty to assault on April 4 and was sentenced by Campbell to nine months probation after finding she'd been strip searched and her role in the swarming was 'relatively low.' GIRL 7 The teen, 14 at the time, was high on alcohol and marijuana, and was one of the least responsible in the violent attack : she wasn't armed, she had earlier tried to calm her co- accused and only became involved in the final phase of the swarming when she mistakenly believed Lee had initiated an assault on her friend, when he was really trying to defend himself. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The agreed statement said she 'hit, punched, kicked and filmed' Lee. The girl, diagnosed with PTSD, ADHD, conduct disorder and oppositional disorder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter before Campbell on May 5, 2025, the day her trial was set to begin in Superior Court. She was sentenced on June 26 to 12 months probation. Of the eight accused , she spent the most time in custody – 345 days – which Campbell credited to 18 months. GIRL 8 (the stabber) The alleged stabber, 14 at the time, tried to plead to manslaughter before her judge-alone trial earlier this year on second-degree murder charges but it was rejected by the Crown. On May 30, Campbell convicted her of manslaughter, finding she stabbed Lee shallowly under the armpit with eyebrow scissors and was lunging toward him again, but he couldn't conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that she inflicted the deep, fatal blow. Following a heartfelt apology and demonstrated progress, she was credited on Aug. 1 with 20 months for her 240 days in custody and four illegal strip searches. Campbell sentenced her to 16 months probation – with up to 12 months in the ISSP. mmandel@ Toronto Blue Jays Canada World Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Toronto Sun
30-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
MANDEL: No more jail time for any of the deadly swarming girls?
Kenneth Lee is shown in a Toronto Police Service handout photo. In the end, it looks like none of the eight girls guilty in the swarming of Ken Lee will spend one more day in youth jail. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The last teen convicted for the heinous crime that shocked the city and beyond was found guilty of manslaughter in May by Superior Court Justice Philip Campbell and at her sentencing hearing Wednesday, both the defence and the Crown agreed her penalty shouldn't involve a return to custody. Just like the others. The only disagreement was on the length of probation for the young killer, who was 14 at the time of the 'vicious' group assault on the 59-year-old homeless man in the parkette at Front St. and University Ave. five days before Christmas 2022 . Crown Sarah De Filippis told the judge she was abandoning an application to have the girl, now 17, sentenced as an adult and had reconsidered the credit she should earn for the nearly eight months she spent in youth custody before being released on strict bail in August 2023. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. By giving her 2 1/2 times credit for what Campbell found were Charter-violating strip searches, she'll have served the equivalent of 20 months in detention, the prosecutor said, so she proposed a sentence of 16 months probation, with the first 12 months spent in an Intensive Support and Supervision Program (ISSP). Defence lawyer Kathryn Doyle said the girl, who already had PTSD before the crime, suffers nightmares and flashbacks as a result of the illegal strip searches and should be credited with 20 to 24 months in custody and sentenced to just 12 months probation, with half of it under an ISSP. Recommended video Both Doyle and De Filippis agreed the remorseful teen is making remarkable progress and has great rehabilitative potential: She's sought counselling on her own initiative, has one semester left to complete high school at an alternative school and has her sights on social work or hair braiding. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Why, the Crown added, she's even withstood the unprecedented scrutiny this case has brought — from a New York Times reporter at the girls' bail hearing to being the basis of an episode of Law and Order Toronto. When she rose to speak, she certainly seemed nothing like the feral attacker seen over and over in the shocking swarming videos played at her trial. 'I'm ready to finally express how I feel about everything that happened,' she began shakily. 'I want to say that I'm sorry to Mr. Lee's family, and especially Ms. Tong, who was present that evening.' Read More The senseless attack began over one of the girl's coveting a bottle of booze belonging to Lee's friend, Erika Tong. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Lee stepped in to protect her, the angry mob descended on him like a ' bunch of wolves on top of a piece of meat, ' as a shelter worker would later say. Their names protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, all the girls, aged between 13 and 16, were originally charged with second-degree murder. Seven would plead guilty to lesser charges – five to manslaughter, one to assault and one to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. All were sentenced to different periods of probation. From the start, this final girl was one of the most violent during the swarming, Campbell said in his May judgment, using a pair of scissors to stab him at least once with 'irrational and inexplicable malice .' Yet the judge acquitted her of second-degree murder because he wasn't satisfied she intended to kill Lee nor that she'd inflicted the fatal stab wound to his heart. Instead, Campbell convicted her of manslaughter — the charge to which she tried to plead guilty at the beginning of her murder trial but was rebuffed by the Crown. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I wanted to apologize even though I know it won't make anything better,' she continued, reading from a letter she'd submitted to court. 'And if I had the opportunity to apologize to Mr. Lee, I would. I know nothing I say will ever change what happened. But I still want to say that I'm truly sorry and accept full responsibility and I'm making an effort to grow as a person.' Choking back tears, she promised she's changed her mindset and will do 'something good' with her future. We can only hope. She will learn her fate Friday afternoon — but she doesn't have to worry that she's going back to jail. mmandel@ MLB Celebrity Wrestling Canada Toronto & GTA
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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
DHL Express announces opening of ₹ 34 cr service centre in Bengaluru
Global express shipping firm DHL Express on Friday announced opening of a new service centre at AISATS Logistics Park in Bengaluru at an investment of 3.43 million euros (about Rs 34 crore). The facility addresses the increasing shipment volumes from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises across Southern India, driven by the region's consistent economic growth and growing global trade engagement, DHL Express said in a statement. The service centre, within the Kempegowda International Airport, is equipped with advanced material handling systems designed to enable faster and more efficient shipment processing. The facility spanning 17,900 square feet also incorporates automation technologies, including telescopic conveyors, wheel sorters, and an operation logic-based conveyor sequence, for import and export processes. These enhancements are projected to reduce shipment processing times, enhancing throughput capacity to handle current and future volume growth, the company said. "With closer proximity to the airport and cutting-edge automation, we can process shipments faster while reducing manual effort," said RS Subramanian, SVP South Asia, DHL Express. This expansion enhances regional productivity, placing the company in a stronger position to manage future volume growth with greater agility, he stated. This is strategically timed to leverage India's significant geographic tailwinds, which is focused on accelerating sustainable growth in high-potential markets and diversifying global supply chains. It is a part of DHL's broader strategy to bolster its India network through strategic facility upgrades and aligns with DHL's Strategy 2030: Accelerating Sustainable Growth, the statement said. The sustained economic dynamism across Asia Pacific, particularly the robust trade growth witnessed in India, continues to be a cornerstone of global commerce, said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific. "By enhancing our infrastructure in key markets like Southern India, we are not only reinforcing our commitment to facilitating seamless international trade but also ensuring our customers, from SMEs to established multinational corporations, that we have the necessary logistics setup to capitalize on these evolving opportunities," he added. The facility features dedicated drive-in bays for pick-up and delivery vehicles, designed to optimize shipment handling and minimize manual effort, thereby reducing turnaround times.
Trade Arabia
16-03-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Asia trade set to stay resilient, reveals DHL report
Asia's trade outlook remains positive, mirroring global trade, which is forecast to grow faster over the next five years compared to the preceding decade, according to a new report. In fact, a few countries in Asia – India, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines – are expected to see especially strong growth. The South Asia as well as Southeast Asia regions are also set to outperform other regions in terms of trade growth, said the DHL Trade Atlas 2025 report, released by DHL and the New York University Stern School of Business. "As we look towards the future of trade in Asia, it's clear how trade growth has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of recent disruptions. With the ongoing diversification of supply chains that continues to reshape the commerce landscape, Asia has steadfastly emerged as a key player in the global market," said Ken Lee, CEO – Asia Pacific, DHL Express. "However, we must approach this promising outlook with a measured perspective, recognizing the uncertainties and volatility that continue to characterize the global business environment. As businesses diversify supply chains, it is essential they stay innovative in their strategy and proactive in seeking out new routes to growth." New leaders in trade growth Between 2024 and 2029, four countries in Asia are forecast to rank among the top 30 for both speed (growth rate) and scale (absolute amount) of trade growth: India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In the next five years, India is anticipated to retain its third-place rank on the scale dimension as well as jump 15 spots to the 17th position on the speed dimension as its compound annual trade volume growth rate rises from 5.2% to 7.2%. Additionally, India may also deliver 6% of the world's trade growth, behind China (12%) and the United States (10%). The prospects of Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are bright as they have displayed substantial potential to benefit from supply chain shifts and diversification strategies. Vietnam is expected to maintain a 6.5% compound annual trade volume growth rate over the 2024-2029 period and promote one position to rank fifth on the scale dimension. Indonesia is predicted to retain its 12th place on the scale rankings, while rising from 33rd to 25th in the speed rankings. More notably, the Philippines is set to leap 114 positions to rank 15th on the speed dimension, and rise from 68th to 30th on the scale dimension. South Asia and ASEAN to produce faster growth South Asia and the ASEAN regions are forecasted to deliver the fastest trade volume growth among major world regions from 2024 to 2029 with CAGR of 5.6% and 5.0%, respectively. In fact, trade growth is also expected to accelerate substantially compared to the previous five-year period in these regions. Other regions such as North America and Europe are forecast to grow at rates of 2.7%. The DHL Trade Atlas also finds that the center of gravity of world trade has shifted. The shares of trade conducted by the world's major geographic regions has changed since 2000, with the most dramatic change observed in Asian economies. Between 2000 and 2024, the share of world trade borne by South & Central Asia rose from 2% to 5%. However, a major region like Europe saw its share of world trade decrease from 41% to 36% for the same period. New record in long-distance trade Despite widespread interest in nearshoring and producing goods closer to customers, the DHL Trade Atlas 2025 demonstrates that trade has not become more regionalised overall. Actual trade flows indicate the opposite trend. In the first nine months of 2024, the average distance traversed for all traded goods reached a record 5,000 km, compared to just over 4,500 km in 2000. This development can be attributed to the fact that Europe and North America have increasingly traded with Asia, as "Factory Asia" becomes central to global production networks. Faster global trade growth Recent forecasts predict goods trade will grow at a compound annual rate of 3.1% from 2024 to 2029. This roughly aligns with GDP growth and represents modestly faster trade growth compared to the previous decade. Even if the new U.S. administration implements all of its proposed tariff increases and other countries retaliate, global trade is still expected to grow over the next five years – but at a much slower pace. "While threats to the global trading system must be taken seriously, global trade has shown great resilience because of the large benefits that it delivers for economies and societies," said Steven A. Altman, Senior Research Scholar and Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalization at NYU Stern's Center for the Future of Management. "While the U.S. could pull back from trade – at a significant cost – other countries are not likely to follow the U.S. down that path because smaller countries would suffer even more in a global retreat from trade." The DHL Trade Atlas 2025
