Latest news with #ShaunaHewitt-Michta
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Brandon teen accused of sword attack to undergo mental assessment
BRANDON — A Manitoba judge has ordered a mental health assessment on the 16-year-old boy accused of attempted murder in a sword attack on a fellow student at a Brandon high school. Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta signed an order in Brandon provincial court Tuesday for the accused to receive a forensic assessment for bail purposes. It will be used to determine whether he suffers from a psychological disorder, emotional disturbance, learning disability or mental disability. 'There seems to be a bit of a decline in his mental health in the last several months,' said defence lawyer Anthony Dawson, who was acting on behalf of lawyer Bob Harrison. 'Something seemed to be rather wrong with (the accused), based on what his family had explained to Mr. Harrison.' (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun) Messages of affirmation and support written in chalk cover the sidewalks outside École Secondaire Neelin High School in Brandon after a fifteen-year-old student was attacked by a fellow student with a sword and seriously injured last week. The accused is also charged with uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and disguise with intent. Hewitt-Michta spoke directly to the gallery, which was filled with friends, family and supporters of 15-year-old Chinonso Onuke, the victim of the June 10 attack at Neelin High School. The judge said while the accused didn't appear in court, progress is still being made. 'Maybe it's frustrating because he's not here today, but I just wanted you to know that's not unusual.' She said the youth is in a correctional facility and usually the court doesn't transfer prisoners unless something particularly 'meaningful' will happen in their case. Hewitt-Michta asked observers for their patience regarding a decision. In an interview after the hearing, Onyebuchi Onuke, the victim's father, said he doesn't care how long the process takes as long as the right decisions are made. 'He's a young person… If it's handled very well, by the grace of God, he could change and be of better use to himself and the society in the future.' Onuke said his No. 1 priority is his son's recovery and his second is the rehabilitation of the accused. Regarding the reason for the attack, he said that based on what he has heard from eyewitnesses, 'to some extent, it was racially motivated,' as his son is Black. 'People need to, especially people in Brandon at all levels, they need to know that we are here to live together in peace and to work together without somebody feeling like, 'I'll be discriminated against because of my colour,'' he said. The city's police chief said Monday investigators are exploring possible motives and additional charges are possible. 'The Crown Attorney has received all the witness statements we've collected so far, and there's a close analysis of those investigative materials to ascertain whether or not the attack was ideologically or racially motivated,' Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said. 'Investigations like this often involve executing search warrants and reviewing materials obtained through those processes. There are still several investigative steps to complete, and we're continuing to consult with the Crown on the relevance of the evidence and whether it supports the possibility of further charges.' About 35 members of Brandon's Black community visited the victim's home on Sunday in a show of solidarity with the family. The United Nigerians in Brandon Association member Calistus Ekenna, who is also a Brandon School Division board trustee, said the community is deeply troubled by the attack and wants to see proactive measures taken to ensure student safety in schools. 'We're hurting, but we're organizing,' he said. 'When an attack like this happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. We cannot ignore this because it deeply disturbs us.' Community safety is a shared responsibility, he said, calling for stronger unity. 'We can all be each other's keeper. As a city, we must grow together and support one another. While the city is hurting, our community is in deep pain, and we want our voices to be heard as we try to heal and move forward.' Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Ekenna said the group plans to send formal communications to the school division, Brandon Police Service and city council. 'There are plans for a community-led presentation to the board,' he said. 'They want to share their suggestions and concerns, and I support that effort.' The group expressed gratitude that Chinonso survived and lauded his courage during the traumatic event. 'We thank God for preserving the life of the victim,' Olaosebikan said. 'From his account, you could see just how brave he was. We're also deeply grateful that no one else was harmed.' — Brandon Sun
CBC
20-02-2025
- CBC
Manitoba man sentenced in 'egregious' intimate image betrayal case involving his ex-girlfriend
A 36-year-old Brandon, Man., man has been sentenced to a nine-month custodial sentence in an "egregious" intimate image betrayal case after he uploaded sexually explicit videos of his then-pregnant ex-girlfriend to a popular porn website without her consent. A version of the victim's name was used in the video's Pornhub titles, some videos showed the victim's face and in another her pregnant belly was visible, a decision filed at provincial court on Feb. 13 says. "The accused's reckless, at best, disregard for the victim's privacy and dignity caused immeasurable harm and irreparable damage," said Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta. "Compounding the damage is the reality that the perpetrator is the father of her children." The man posted multiple explicit videos of his ex-girlfriend to his Pornhub account — with his privacy controls set to restrict views to the account's 18 friends and seven subscribers — and texted her a link to one of the videos four days after her birthday, the decision says. The victim reported the man to police who executed a production order for the videos, which at the time of the investigation had been viewed a total of over 1,700 times. Neither the woman nor the accused were named in the decision. Victim impact 'profound devastation' The man was found guilty by a judge for non-consensual distribution of intimate images, a law that came into effect in 2016. Hewitt-Michta said because the Brandon man posted "multiple videos of explicit sexual activity involving a previous intimate partner" to a public website, his actions fell high on the range of personal culpability. "He was so cavalier about using a version of the victim's name, when he appears to have avoided any identifying reference to himself in the name or descriptions in his account," said Hewitt-Michta. There is no way to know if people watching the videos duplicated them and distributed them further or how many people were watching during each viewing, Hewitt-Michta said. "Those factors contribute to a further aggravating factor, which is the pronounced and crushing victim impact." The woman shared a victim impact statement that spoke to the "profound devastation" she felt from knowing such intensely intimate videos were posted online, Hewitt-Michta said, and shared how she now has anxiety while in public. 'Barely acknowledged the victim' Previous cases were submitted during arguments to decide sentencing by both the defence and prosecution. One case involved a 26-year-old man with no criminal record, who uploaded two videos of himself and a victim to his Pornhub account. The man removed the images himself and apologized, and received a suspended sentence. In another case, a 32-year-old man uploaded images and videos with his ex-girlfriend's name attached that were "intended to humiliate her." He had no criminal record and pleaded guilty to non-consensual distribution of intimate imagery, receiving a custodial sentence of five months. Ultimately, Hewitt-Michta sentenced the Brandon man to a nine-month custodial sentence and two years probation. He was also ordered to pay a court cost and victim surcharge of $202. While the man is Indigenous, the judge said Gladue factors — systemic and background factors that affect Indigenous people — did not diminish his moral culpability in the case. "He was not young, addicted or in the throes of a mental health crisis when he committed the offence," Hewitt-Michta said. The man has no prior criminal record and is an educated business owner who is knowledgeable about and connected to his Indigenous culture, and is considered a very low risk to reoffend, the decision says. He didn't acknowledge responsibility or articulate remorse in a pre-sentence report — which helps judges to determine an appropriate sentence — and did not present throughout proceedings as particularly repentant, Hewitt-Michta said. "The sentence must reflect the intentional risk the accused took in respect of the victim's privacy and dignity ... and the extent to which the accused's conduct offends the high value society places on sexual integrity, privacy, and dignity."
