Latest news with #skullfracture
CTV News
19-07-2025
- CTV News
No charges for VPD jail guards in case that left drunk man with skull fracture: BCPS
The Vancouver Police Department's headquarters on Cambie Street are seen in a Shutterstock image. The B.C. Prosecution Service has decided not to prosecute a Vancouver jail guard in connection to an incident that left an intoxicated man with a skull fracture in April 2021. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. forwarded a report to Crown counsel last year recommending consideration of a charge of assault causing bodily harm against a special municipal constable working for the Vancouver Police Department. On Friday, more than a year after the IIO submitted its report and more than four years after the incident itself, the BCPS published a so-called "clear statement" document summarizing the incident and the service's reasons for not laying charges. The prosecution service determined that the available evidence against the jail guard – referred to in the document as the 'subject officer' or 'SO' – did not meet the charge assessment standard. What happened The document indicates that the injured man – referred to as the 'affected person' or 'AP' – was taken into custody by VPD officers on the evening of April 19, 2021. He was intoxicated, and the arrest was for 'the offences of indecent act and breach of peace,' which were alleged to have occurred near the intersection of Cambie Street and West Broadway, according to the document. He was taken to the VPD jail in a prisoner transport van. 'Upon arrival, the AP was still intoxicated,' the document reads. 'Security video footage shows that his jeans fell down repeatedly, and at one point his private parts were exposed. The video also shows that at all times following his arrival at the VPD jail the AP was moderately unsteady on his feet.' Police reported, and the surveillance video appeared to confirm, that the man was 'unco-operative, particularly with regard to instructions to keep his hands on the wall while being searched,' according to the document. The subject officer and a witness officer walked the man to his cell, where he lost his balance, fell and hit his head. Both officers were touching the man at the time he fell, but the BCPS statement says the surveillance video evidence was insufficient to establish that either officer caused the fall. Charge assessment When deciding whether to approve charges, the BCPS considers a two-part test. First, prosecutors must determine whether there is 'a substantial likelihood of conviction.' If there is, prosecutors must believe that 'the public interest requires a prosecution.' In this case, prosecutors found the available evidence did not meet the charge assessment standard. Beyond concluding that it was not clear that either officer had caused the man's fall, Crown prosecutors determined that they would be 'unable to disprove' a defence that the officers' use of force was reasonable and justified in the circumstances. Under the Criminal Code, peace officers acting in their lawful duties and on 'reasonable grounds' are 'justified in doing what (they are) required or authorized to do and in using as much force as necessary for that purpose,' according to the BCPS statement. 'In a prosecution, the onus is on the Crown to prove that the legal defences provided under the Criminal Code to peace officers acting in the course of their duties have not been established,' the document reads. In this case, that means prosecutors would have had to prove that the force an accused officer used went beyond what was necessary in the circumstances. 'The force employed by the SO against the AP for purposes of escorting and securing the AP into cell 1 aligned with VPD jail guards' training,' the statement reads. 'The available evidence does not otherwise establish that the SO employed force against the AP beyond that which was reasonable, necessary, or proportionate for purposes of securing the AP into cell 1.'
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aussie's hair-raising world record 'death dive' attempt from the top of 42metre sheer cliff goes horribly wrong
An adrenaline junkie fractured his skull and needed two major surgeries after he attempted a world-record dive from an Australian waterfall. Vali Graham, 21, suffered horrific injuries after he leapt from the top of Minnehaha Falls, a 42.5metre cliff, in the NSW Blue Mountains on June 11. He has undergone multiple operations and weeks of rehabilitation after the dive, footage of which showed Mr Graham gearing himself up at the top of the rock ledge before he jumped off and performed an acrobatic twist in the air on the way down. View this post on Instagram A post shared by #lostmtns (@lostmtns) Unfortunately he landed in an awkward 'pike' position which knocked him out, fractured his skull and back, caused a concussion and burst his eardrum. These injuries required Mr Graham to head straight to hospital where he underwent emergency surgeries. The stuntman provided an update to his follows a couple of days later letting everybody know he was going to be fine. His suffering, Mr Graham wrote, was a gift from god. 'Update: 'God gives us the gift of suffering' after sending this monster 42.5m cliff I was knocked unconscious . . .after regaining consciousness I pulled myself out of the water and walked a steep 1.2km out to our car where my friends took me to hospital' he wrote. Mr Graham also thanked his followers for the love and support they had shown him. 'The support was amazing, I've had surgery on my back and sternum and was walking 2 days after surgery,' he wrote. 'I am honestly mentally feeling amazing, ready to rebuild my body better than ever and come back stronger, a long way to go but excited for the journey.' The height he jumped from was equivalent to a 13 storey building and his followers were floored by his dedication to the sport. 'Beyond comprehension how he does that,' one person commented. 'Full credit to him he deserves the world record,' another wrote. Although some who watched the video had less-than-stellar feedback for Mr Graham. 'My taxes have to pay for your dumb choices,' one person commented; 'God didn't give you that suffering, you did that yourself,' another said.
