Latest news with #youthcrime
CBC
18 hours ago
- CBC
Montreal lawyers see troubling increase in teens accused of homicide
Social Sharing Prosecutors and defence lawyers in Montreal are calling attention to the rising number of young people accused of homicide. "What we've seen is an increase — those files and numbers are increasing in our office," said Crown prosecutor Louis-David Bénard. And it's not a small increase, said defence lawyer Tiago Múrias. "It's very, very, very obvious," he said, recalling a time when it was rare for young people to be either accused of or victims of homicide. "Now it's like tenfold." The spike began during the pandemic and has grown serious enough that a dedicated team of prosecutors now handles homicide cases in youth court in Montreal. While many factors contribute to the trend, one stands out: access to firearms. "For young teenagers, it's easier for them to possess or buy firearms on the streets of Montreal," said Bénard. WATCH | Increasing number of youth-related homicides, lawyers say: Rise in Montreal teens accused of homicide sparks creation of special prosecutors team 7 minutes ago Rise in violent youth crimes In recent years, several high-profile cases have involved teen suspects or victims. Amir Benayad, 17, was shot and killed in an alley in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough at the start of 2022 during a dispute. Two youths pleaded guilty in that case. In July 2024, police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with a fatal shooting in a Dollard-des-Ormeaux parking lot. The victim in that case was 42. More recently this summer, a 17-year-old survived multiple gunshot wounds in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. "How did it come to that?" asked Múrias, noting that teenagers used to get in trouble for stealing chips from convenience stores — not carrying guns. "That's something that is very troubling." And it's not just firearms. In April, 16-year-old Makhai Bennett-Ruddock was fatally stabbed in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. A 17-year-old was charged with manslaughter in that case. A year earlier, a 35-year-old man was stabbed outside the Lionel-Groulx Metro station. The attack, described by police as random, led to the arrest of five teens aged 13 to 18. Bénard said teens are particularly vulnerable and easily influenced as they look to build a name for themselves on the streets or social media. He was unable to provide exact numbers, but he said the increase in youth violence is clear. "We're seeing a proliferation of guns and youth firing guns," he said. Youth murder cases are complex, lawyers say Lawyers say murder cases involving minors are legally complex — especially when it comes to sentencing. When an adult is convicted of first-degree murder, the sentence is automatic. But that's not the case for youth. "To sentence those young teenagers with a sentence adapted for them — it's not an easy task," said Bénard. Múrias described the sentencing phase as "a trial after the trial," focusing on maturity and accountability. "It becomes a trial about just and proportionate consequences in regards to cerebral development. So it's really a challenge," he said. That challenge may soon grow. A Supreme Court of Canada decision last week will make it harder for minors convicted of murder to be sentenced as adults. The decision says youth court judges shouldn't consider the seriousness of the offence when deciding whether to impose an adult sentence. Instead, they must focus solely on the accused's development and moral judgment. It also states that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a youth had adult-level maturity. The ruling reaffirms that young people are presumed to have diminished moral blameworthiness under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
CBC
18 hours ago
- CBC
Rise in Montreal teens accused of homicide sparks creation of special prosecutors team
Montreal prosecutors and defence lawyers say the jump in criminal cases involving youth started during the pandemic. They say gun violence is one of the main reasons for the increase.
CBC
22-07-2025
- CBC
Teen convicted of manslaughter in death of Ahmad Al Marrach in Halifax parking garage
A teenager accused of instigating a deadly ambush of a 16-year-old boy has been found guilty of manslaughter. The verdict was handed down Tuesday morning in Nova Scotia Youth Court. The 17-year-old, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, challenged the victim, Ahmad Al Marrach, to a fight in a series of aggressive text messages. The pair exchanged messages in the hours leading up to their confrontation in a parking garage at the Halifax Shopping Centre on April 22, 2024. While the text messages discussed a fair, one-on-one fight, the teen was actually plotting with some of his friends for them to jump into the fight seconds after it began. It was one of those friends who fatally stabbed Al Marrach. The 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. His sentencing begins on Friday. The teen convicted on Tuesday was the only one to test the charges at trial. He had initially been charged with second-degree murder. But the Crown indicated in April that they were no longer pursuing that more serious charge, and the teen was instead facing a manslaughter charge. His other two accomplices, a boy and girl who are both 15, each pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The court was told on Tuesday that the girl has already breached the conditions of her sentence and has been re-arrested and is back in custody. She had been serving an intensive rehabilitative sentence which included three months in jail, followed by close supervision in the community. The other teen who entered a guilty plea is to be sentenced next month. The Crown is still weighing whether to seek an adult sentence for the latest conviction. They say their decision will depend in part on psychological and psychiatric reports that are being prepared as part of the sentencing process. Sentencing is set for the fall. The teen's lawyer had argued that her client should be found not guilty because he didn't know his friend was going to use a knife. But the Crown had argued that the fatal stabbing was a direct result of the fight started by the teen on trial. "If a group decides to do something together and one of that group does something else that causes harm ... If that something else, the general nature of it is reasonably foreseeable, then the whole group can be held responsible," Crown Prosecutor Sarah Kirby said outside court. In a victim impact statement read in court in January, Al Marrach's mother said she dies a thousand times a day without her son. With the help of a translator, Basima Al Jaji described a life devoid of joy and affection as part of the sentencing for the two 15-year-olds who pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The victim's sister, her voice barely above a whisper, spoke about how she didn't believe the news at first that her brother had died. She said when she woke up on the first day after his death, she ran into every room in their home, looking for him. Al Marrach's family came to Canada in 2016 as refugees from Syria. After his death, his family remembered Al Marrach as someone who looked after his brothers and sisters. Crown Prosecutor Terry Nickerson said the outcome of the four cases was a good one. "I think it sends a clear message that the system does work and time and effort and cooperation with the police and with the authorities and sometimes a little patience is rewarded."
The Independent
18-07-2025
- The Independent
Boy who stabbed pupil to death tells jury why he took ‘scary' knife to school
A 15-year-old boy who stabbed a fellow pupil to death has told a jury he took a 'scary-looking knife' to school that day 'in case anyone tried to pull a knife out on me or try to hurt me'. The teenager told a court on Friday he did not want to go to school on the morning he killed Harvey Willgoose, also 15, because 'I thought I was going to get hurt that day'. The defendant was giving evidence for a third day at Sheffield Crown Court, where he is on trial for murdering Harvey during the lunch break at All Saints Catholic High School in the city on February 3. He told the court he 'ordered' the knife because 'it was a scary-looking knife and, if I pulled it out, somebody wouldn't try to pull out theirs'. Gul Nawaz Hussain KC, defending, asked the boy: 'We know you took a knife to school with you that morning, why?' The defendant replied: 'In case anyone tried to pull a knife out on me or try to hurt me.' Mr Hussain said: 'Did you want to start any trouble that day?' The boy said: 'No.' And Mr Hussain asked him: 'Did you want to hurt anyone that day?' The boy replied: 'No.' The barrister read a Snapchat message Harvey sent to the defendant before school that day, which said: 'Is it beef I what', which the boy said he read as meaning: 'Is it beef or what?' Mr Hussain said: 'Did you want beef with Harvey?' The boy said: 'No.' The defendant explained to the jury of eight women and four men how he met Harvey after arriving at school on February 3 and Harvey said to him: 'Is it beef between me and you?' He said he asked Harvey why he thought he had 'beef' with him but Harvey just asked him about his injured hand. The boy said they then started joking about boxing and started sparring in the corridor. The defendant said Harvey was laughing and he told the jury: 'I was thinking it was alright between me and him.' The jury has been shown CCTV footage of Harvey being stabbed in a courtyard at All Saints later that day. The court has heard that the defendant, who cannot be named, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder. He has also admitted possession of a knife on school premises. Addressing the jury last week, Mr Hussain said: '(The defendant) did not set out to kill or seriously hurt anyone. 'The defence say (the defendant's) actions that day were the end result of a long period of bullying, poor treatment and violence, things that built one upon another until he lost control and did tragically what we've all seen.'
CBC
17-07-2025
- CBC
Teen accused of setting classmate on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate re-elects trial by judge alone
A Saskatoon teen who is charged with setting a classmate on fire will stand trial by judge alone. The 15-year-old had previously chosen a jury trial at Court of King's Bench, but she changed that election on July 16. The accused and the teenage victim cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Prosecutor Ainsley Furlonger said there is no trial date set yet. The teen's lawyer is waiting for the results of an unspecified assessment, which is expected early next month. Furlonger said a case management meeting is set for Aug. 27. Furlonger filed a direct indictment against the 15-year-old girl in April, meaning there won't be any preliminary hearings where evidence can be tested. The indictment contains two charges: that the teen attempted to murder a classmate at Evan Hardy Collegiate by setting her on fire and that she caused bodily harm to the teacher who was injured when he tried to put out the fire. The incident happened in the first week of school in September 2024. The victim sustained burns to 40 per cent of her body after the accused allegedly poured a flammable liquid on her head and torso and lit her on fire in a hallway outside a classroom, just before lunch. The Crown previously gave notice in provincial court that it intends to seek an adult sentence for the teen, if she is convicted.
