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Global News
26-05-2025
- Global News
Daughter of wrongfully convicted N.S. man says grief grows without probe of police
The daughter of a wrongfully convicted Nova Scotia man says burying her father next month will renew her intense grief — especially if a criminal investigation into his case remains stalled. Amanda Huckle says when her father Glen Assoun died about two years ago, she felt the accumulated injustice of the almost 17 years he spent in a federal prison for a crime he was found not guilty of committing. 'As his life left his body, it's like all his pain just sat in the palm of our hands and we're left to carry this,' she said in a telephone interview Wednesday. In March 2019, a Nova Scotia court acquitted Assoun in the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Way. During the years in prison and the five years living under strict bail conditions, Assoun developed debilitating heart illnesses and suffered from mental illnesses. He only received a compensation settlement from the federal and provincial governments about two years before he died at the age of 67. Story continues below advertisement Huckle said the family is frustrated that a police oversight body hasn't started a formal probe into whether RCMP officers broke the law when they destroyed evidence relevant to Assoun's case. She said it would help if the investigation is launched before the Christian interment ceremony takes place in June. 'Not having this investigation occurring intensifies the grief because we feel this injustice … we're feeling it for him,' she said. The daughter said she appreciates recent comments from Erin Nauss, the director of Nova Scotia's police oversight body — the Serious Incident Response Team — that the case is 'a priority' and that the agency hopes to make an announcement in the 'near future.' However, she said she's heard similar comments repeatedly over the past five years, since a former Liberal cabinet minister first asked in the fall of 2020 that the police oversight agency carry out a probe of potential criminal wrongdoing involving the RCMP and Halifax police. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I'll believe it when I see it. It feels like false hopes and nothing ever happens,' she said. 1:44 Federal Justice Minister Lametti says Nova Scotia should deal with Assoun Case In March 2021, the Nova Scotia police watchdog announced that to ensure transparency, its counterpart in British Columbia had agreed to take the case. But on Nov. 30, 2023, Nova Scotia's agency announced the B.C. watchdog had dropped the case due to a heavy workload. Since then, Nauss has reached out to multiple police oversight bodies and has struggled to find one that will take the case. Story continues below advertisement Recently, Nauss indicated that she is in talks with another provincial oversight body to take over the investigation. 'This is an important matter and one I am taking seriously,' she wrote in an email Thursday. 'I empathize with the concerns mentioned and understand the time that has passed is frustrating.' Premier Tim Houston, asked Tuesday if he would involve his office in helping arrange the probe, said he'll await the decision of another province considering taking it on. 'I will respect the decision of the (other provincial) government on that situation. I know they're focused on that and so I'll respect that decision,' he said. View image in full screen Glen Assoun, who died in June 2023 at age 67, was acquitted in March 2019 of the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Anne Way, after spending almost 17 years in prison. Assoun stands outside Supreme Court in Halifax on July 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan. AV Huckle, who is now a police officer experienced in investigations, said she's concerned about the passage of time, as it can reduce the chance to collect evidence, and memories of potential witnesses can fade. 'The older people get we always have the risk that they won't still be alive to provide evidence or even be held accountable,' she said. Story continues below advertisement The continued delays in having an investigation start also has the effect of constantly reopening old wounds, she said. While the wider public may be starting to forget about Assoun's wrongful conviction, the matter remains fresh for Huckle. 'I think about this every single day …. We don't have answers. We want answers. Why did this happen to my Dad? Why?' she said. Sean MacDonald, Assoun's former lawyer, has said if a criminal probe into police actions in Assoun's case went forward it would be a watershed moment, as it would raise the bar for police conduct and create a level of accountability that hasn't existed in prior wrongful convictions. The issue of police accountability in wrongful convictions remains front and centre, including in the case of Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie. The two men were cleared 2023 in a 1983 murder in Saint John, N.B., after serving lengthy prison terms. In March, the Saint John Police Force released a summary of an independent review which found that tunnel vision occurred in the case, but the police chief said the officers involved wouldn't face consequences as there was no malicious intent. Huckle said if the announcement doesn't come before her father's burial ceremony, she won't give up. The next milestone will be this September, five years after the province asked the Serious Incident Response Team to take on the case. Story continues below advertisement 'I would hope that… someone has taken on this investigation by then. Do I have faith that will happen? No, I don't,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Daughter of wrongfully convicted N.S. man says grief grows without probe of police
HALIFAX - The daughter of a wrongfully convicted Nova Scotia man says burying her father next month will renew her intense grief — especially if a criminal investigation into his case remains stalled. Amanda Huckle says when her father Glen Assoun died about two years ago, she felt the accumulated injustice of the almost 17 years he spent in a federal prison for a crime he was found not guilty of committing. 'As his life left his body, it's like all his pain just sat in the palm of our hands and we're left to carry this,' she said in a telephone interview Wednesday. In March 2019, a Nova Scotia court acquitted Assoun in the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Way. During the years in prison and the five years living under strict bail conditions, Assoun developed debilitating heart illnesses and suffered from mental illnesses. He only received a compensation settlement from the federal and provincial governments about two years before he died at the age of 67. Huckle said the family is frustrated that a police oversight body hasn't started a formal probe into whether RCMP officers broke the law when they destroyed evidence relevant to Assoun's case. She said it would help if the investigation is launched before the Christian interment ceremony takes place in June. 'Not having this investigation occurring intensifies the grief because we feel this injustice ... we're feeling it for him,' she said. The daughter said she appreciates recent comments from Erin Nauss, the director of Nova Scotia's police oversight body — the Serious Incident Response Team — that the case is 'a priority' and that the agency hopes to make an announcement in the 'near future.' However, she said she's heard similar comments repeatedly over the past five years, since a former Liberal cabinet minister first asked in the fall of 2020 that the police oversight agency carry out a probe of potential criminal wrongdoing involving the RCMP and Halifax police. 'I'll believe it when I see it. It feels like false hopes and nothing ever happens,' she said. In March 2021, the Nova Scotia police watchdog announced that to ensure transparency, its counterpart in British Columbia had agreed to take the case. But on Nov. 30, 2023, Nova Scotia's agency announced the B.C. watchdog had dropped the case due to a heavy workload. Since then, Nauss has reached out to multiple police oversight bodies and has struggled to find one that will take the case. Recently, Nauss indicated that she is in talks with another provincial oversight body to take over the investigation. 'This is an important matter and one I am taking seriously,' she wrote in an email Thursday. 'I empathize with the concerns mentioned and understand the time that has passed is frustrating.' Premier Tim Houston, asked Tuesday if he would involve his office in helping arrange the probe, said he'll await the decision of another province considering taking it on. 'I will respect the decision of the (other provincial) government on that situation. I know they're focused on that and so I'll respect that decision,' he said. Huckle, who is now a police officer experienced in investigations, said she's concerned about the passage of time, as it can reduce the chance to collect evidence, and memories of potential witnesses can fade. 'The older people get we always have the risk that they won't still be alive to provide evidence or even be held accountable,' she said. The continued delays in having an investigation start also has the effect of constantly reopening old wounds, she said. While the wider public may be starting to forget about Assoun's wrongful conviction, the matter remains fresh for Huckle. 'I think about this every single day .... We don't have answers. We want answers. Why did this happen to my Dad? Why?' she said. Sean MacDonald, Assoun's former lawyer, has said if a criminal probe into police actions in Assoun's case went forward it would be a watershed moment, as it would raise the bar for police conduct and create a level of accountability that hasn't existed in prior wrongful convictions. The issue of police accountability in wrongful convictions remains front and centre, including in the case of Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie. The two men were cleared 2023 in a 1983 murder in Saint John, N.B., after serving lengthy prison terms. In March, the Saint John Police Force released a summary of an independent review which found that tunnel vision occurred in the case, but the police chief said the officers involved wouldn't face consequences as there was no malicious intent. Huckle said if the announcement doesn't come before her father's burial ceremony, she won't give up. The next milestone will be this September, five years after the province asked the Serious Incident Response Team to take on the case. 'I would hope that... someone has taken on this investigation by then. Do I have faith that will happen? No, I don't,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Daughter of wrongfully convicted N.S. man says grief grows without probe of police
HALIFAX – The daughter of a wrongfully convicted Nova Scotia man says burying her father next month will renew her intense grief — especially if a criminal investigation into his case remains stalled. Amanda Huckle says when her father Glen Assoun died about two years ago, she felt the accumulated injustice of the almost 17 years he spent in a federal prison for a crime he was found not guilty of committing. 'As his life left his body, it's like all his pain just sat in the palm of our hands and we're left to carry this,' she said in a telephone interview Wednesday. In March 2019, a Nova Scotia court acquitted Assoun in the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Way. During the years in prison and the five years living under strict bail conditions, Assoun developed debilitating heart illnesses and suffered from mental illnesses. He only received a compensation settlement from the federal and provincial governments about two years before he died at the age of 67. Huckle said the family is frustrated that a police oversight body hasn't started a formal probe into whether RCMP officers broke the law when they destroyed evidence relevant to Assoun's case. She said it would help if the investigation is launched before the Christian interment ceremony takes place in June. 'Not having this investigation occurring intensifies the grief because we feel this injustice … we're feeling it for him,' she said. The daughter said she appreciates recent comments from Erin Nauss, the director of Nova Scotia's police oversight body — the Serious Incident Response Team — that the case is 'a priority' and that the agency hopes to make an announcement in the 'near future.' However, she said she's heard similar comments repeatedly over the past five years, since a former Liberal cabinet minister first asked in the fall of 2020 that the police oversight agency carry out a probe of potential criminal wrongdoing involving the RCMP and Halifax police. 'I'll believe it when I see it. It feels like false hopes and nothing ever happens,' she said. In March 2021, the Nova Scotia police watchdog announced that to ensure transparency, its counterpart in British Columbia had agreed to take the case. But on Nov. 30, 2023, Nova Scotia's agency announced the B.C. watchdog had dropped the case due to a heavy workload. Since then, Nauss has reached out to multiple police oversight bodies and has struggled to find one that will take the case. Recently, Nauss indicated that she is in talks with another provincial oversight body to take over the investigation. 'This is an important matter and one I am taking seriously,' she wrote in an email Thursday. 'I empathize with the concerns mentioned and understand the time that has passed is frustrating.' Premier Tim Houston, asked Tuesday if he would involve his office in helping arrange the probe, said he'll await the decision of another province considering taking it on. 'I will respect the decision of the (other provincial) government on that situation. I know they're focused on that and so I'll respect that decision,' he said. Huckle, who is now a police officer experienced in investigations, said she's concerned about the passage of time, as it can reduce the chance to collect evidence, and memories of potential witnesses can fade. 'The older people get we always have the risk that they won't still be alive to provide evidence or even be held accountable,' she said. The continued delays in having an investigation start also has the effect of constantly reopening old wounds, she said. While the wider public may be starting to forget about Assoun's wrongful conviction, the matter remains fresh for Huckle. 'I think about this every single day …. We don't have answers. We want answers. Why did this happen to my Dad? Why?' she said. Sean MacDonald, Assoun's former lawyer, has said if a criminal probe into police actions in Assoun's case went forward it would be a watershed moment, as it would raise the bar for police conduct and create a level of accountability that hasn't existed in prior wrongful convictions. The issue of police accountability in wrongful convictions remains front and centre, including in the case of Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie. The two men were cleared 2023 in a 1983 murder in Saint John, N.B., after serving lengthy prison terms. In March, the Saint John Police Force released a summary of an independent review which found that tunnel vision occurred in the case, but the police chief said the officers involved wouldn't face consequences as there was no malicious intent. Huckle said if the announcement doesn't come before her father's burial ceremony, she won't give up. The next milestone will be this September, five years after the province asked the Serious Incident Response Team to take on the case. 'I would hope that… someone has taken on this investigation by then. Do I have faith that will happen? No, I don't,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Watchdog clears Regina police of wrongdoing in 2023 death in custody
Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has concluded that there is no grounds to believe any police officer committed an offence in relation to the 2023 death of a man in police custody. That finding was made public with the release of a report dated May 14, 2025. The report from the province's police oversight body states that on Aug. 21, 2023, a 23-year-old man (unnamed in the report) turned himself in to Regina Police Service (RPS) headquarters in relation to outstanding warrants. He was taken into custody and found unresponsive in his cell around 3:45 a.m. the following day. First aid was provided and he was subsequently taken to the Regina General Hospital where he was declared deceased at approximately 4:48 p.m., according to the report. The report states 13 RPS members were considered witnesses and were either interviewed or provided their notes. Eleven civilians were also interviewed, including 'civilian detention staff, members of EMS and the Regina Fire Department, as well as an occupant of a neighboring cell within the RPS detention area,' the document says. Five 'packages' were removed from the man's body while in hospital and a sixth was removed during autopsy, according to the report, which notes the packages suitable for testing revealed the contents to be methamphetamine and morphine. 'The autopsy and toxicology testing conducted following the affected person's death determined that he died as a result of acute methamphetamine toxicity,' the report states, later asserting it was 'highly likely' the person turned himself in to attempt to smuggle the drugs into a correctional facility. Nonetheless police had a duty to care for him and reasonably address medical needs, the report notes. Cell checks were done at 'regular and reasonable intervals,' the report goes on to say but adds this was done without accurate information about the person's condition. 'Even when symptoms of the affected person's medical condition had begun to present, and were ultimately diagnosed as withdrawal symptoms, the affected person did not provide accurate information or correct the diagnosis.' When the man's condition worsened, medical treatment commenced, the report states. 'It is clearly established that no use of force by police occurred at any point during the affected person's arrest or detention,' reads the report. 'When considering the information available to detention staff, both provided by the affected person on his entry into custody and through their own observations, both the recognition of the affected person's medical condition and later attempted treatment of that condition were reasonable.' The report states that after a review of the evidence relating to the incident, no charges will be laid. bharder@ Police watchdog investigating Regina in-custody death A look back at police watchdog's first year operating in Saskatchewan The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sask. police watchdog provides new details in case of man who died in Melfort RCMP custody
New details, including a previously unreported physical altercation, are emerging in the death of 44-year-old man who died earlier this week while in Melfort RCMP's custody. Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating the death. SIRT is the province's civilian-led watchdog unit that investigates serious incidents involving police. RCMP issued a news release Wendesday saying the man had taken into custody at about 9:45 a.m. CST on May 6 after reports of a man disturbing the peace at a home on Bemister Avenue West in Melfort, Sask., which is about 150 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. Officers found a 44-year-old man they say had broken the window at the home, RCMP said. On Friday, a SIRT news release said RCMP found the man acting erratically and took him into custody under the Mental Health Services Act. Paramedics examined the man and he was taken to hospital for an injured hand. While the man was being examined, "another disturbance occurred," and RCMP attempted to take him back into custody, SIRT said. "During the process of taking the man back into custody, a physical altercation occurred," SIRT's release said. That altercation was not mentioned in the initial RCMP release. The man was back in a cell at the Melfort detachment by 10:45 a.m. CST Tuesday. At 5:10 p.m. CST, RCMP found the man in medical distress. Officers started CPR and EMS transported the man back to hospital, where he was declared dead. SIRT is investigating the conduct of police during this incident, including the circumstances surrounding the man's arrest and the cause of his death. SIRT reports are to be released to the public within 90 days of the end of the investigation.
