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11 charged in fraud

TORONTO - It started off as a common traffic accident on one of Toronto’s busiest highways.   (Toronto Star)

 

Abandoned in ERs

Across Canada, hospitals have encountered a rare but troubling phenomenon: elderly patients abandoned by relatives or others in crowded emergency wards, with or without an acute medical problem.  (National Post)

 

237 charges

TORONTO - Police laid 237 charges against Marcos Marinoni, 26, and Isaac Lewkowicz, 29, charges that range from possession of credit cards and property attained by crime to theft and conspiracy.  (CTV)    PREVIOUS:   2nd suspect arrested   1 arrested, another sought   Jewels stolen

 

Family kept story in the spotlight

MONCTON - Donna O'Rielly had been missing for nearly a month when she flagged down a Purolator driver who recognized her from the news.  (CTV)  MORE:  Frantic escape seen by witness  

 

Hit-and-runs double

SASKATOON - The number of reported hit-and-run collisions in Saskatoon has doubled since 2000, according to statistics from Saskatchewan Government Insurance and the Saskatoon Police Service.   (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix)

 

Mistrial declared

TORONTO - Alexander Petraitis, 67, former chairman of magazine wholesaler Metro News, is charged along with his former dominatrix mistress, Sandra Rinella, 47, with hiring a hit man to kill his then-wife of 40 years, Kirsten Petraitis.  (Toronto Star)   MORE:  Case has waited to go trial   Mistrial in conspiracy case

 

There is an app for that

Parking mobility  A western Canadian non-profit company is making it easier to catch people who use handicap parking spots without a proper permit.    (CBC)

 

Traffic fines trend

GENEVA - European countries are increasingly pegging speeding fines to income as a way to punish wealthy scofflaws who would otherwise ignore tickets.  Advocates say a $290,000 speeding ticket slapped on a millionaire Ferrari driver in Switzerland was a fair and well-deserved example of the trend.  (AP)

 

Horse hanging

VICTORIA - David Whiffin and Clayton Cunningham are accused of allowing a 27-year-old appaloosa gelding named Jalupae to starve, and then tying its neck to the bucket of an excavator, raising it so the horse was off the ground. It died from strangulation.  (Victoria Times Colonist)

 

6 hour window to 'erase' fear

Humans have a six-hour window of opportunity when fearful memories can potentially be erased, a study says.   (BBC)

 

Firm replaces toys

TORONTO - A toy company played Santa yesterday, donating $50,000 in goodies after a tractor-trailer full of presents for needy families was stolen on Sept. 26. "For every grinch there is a Santa, so Hasbro has come up with $50,000 worth of toys for Peels Toys for Tots program," company spokesman Sandra Paulini said.   (Sun Media)   PREVIOUS:  Grinches behind bars   Toys trailer found   Grinches on video   Van full of toys stolen    Food bank demand up 75%

 

'Gaming' the system

TORONTO - Two Ontario drivers reported aches and pains after their big Ford Econoline vans were struck from behind as they sat at stoplights, weeks and kilometres apart.  But the cost of assessing, treating and compensating the drivers was a world apart. One of the collisions took place in London, Ont., and the driver's claim cost his insurer $1,674. The second incident took place in Toronto and has cost a whopping $51,808 to date.  (Toronto Star)  MORE:  Insurers urge injury billing limits

 

Suspect was out on bail

WINNIPEG - A woman charged with abducting and trying to kill a 14-month-old baby had walked out of jail only days earlier following a string of recent arrests, according to court documents.   (Mike on Crime)   MORE:  Suspect was on bail   Woman charged   Child assaulted   Hero to baby's grandmother   Teen stops savage attack

 

Break-in no average burglary

OTTAWA - The criminal who broke into the home of an Ottawa tax court judge and shot holes through its windows left all jewelry, cash and valuables untouched.  In an e-mail exchange with the Citizen, Judge Patrick Boyle's son, Joshua, revealed Friday that the perpetrator clearly had more in mind than simple burglary. Boyle, 25, has been drawn into the case because he recently married Zaynab Khadr, a prominent member of Canada's notorious "al-Qaeda family." (Ottawa Citizen)   PREVIOUS:  A break-in, slaying and Khadr marriage

Boat operators card useless

OTTAWA - Transport Canada says it is moving to fix its multimillion-dollar pleasure craft operator card program, amid widespread cheating in the tests and complaints that the cards are largely useless to police.   (CBC)

 

Guilty

GODERICH, Ont. - They were star-crossed lovers with murderous intent. Tony Terpstra, 40, and Serenna Benninger 39, were found guilty Tuesday night of conspiracy and counselling to commit the murder of Terpstra's wife, Shelia, 41.   (QMI)   PREVIOUS:  Hottub, millions, a hitman and a plot

 

Homeowner charged $35K

PARKSVILLE - Under the province's Heritage Conservation Act, landowners whose property has been designated a heritage site cannot build until archeologists have done an assessment and removed any First Nations artifacts or human remains - at the landowner's expense.  (CBC)

 

Most dangerous vehicles of 2010

The National Safety Council (NSC), an Illinois-based organization aimed at lobbying for and supporting safety standards, says the average economic cost per traffic fatality in 2007, the latest year on record, was $1.1M. (Forbes)   PREVIOUS:  Laws don't stop crashes   Highway Loss Data Institute   Auto theft Canada 2009

 

Boy killed by pack of dogs

CANOE LAKE FIRST NATION - A young boy was killed when he was attacked by a pack of dogs on a northern Saskatchewan reserve.  Family members identified him as 10-year-old Keith Iron.  (CTV)    MORE:  Boy dies in dog attack   Dogs destroyed  Band blamed

 

11 years for shooting TTC driver

TORONTO - Malcolm Chalmers, now 23, fired several shots through the open door of the bus just after 11pm on Oct. 15, 2005.  One of the slugs fired from the tarnished silver Browning 9-mm pistol hit TTC driver Jaime Pereira in the face, leaving him blind in one eye and with only peripheral vision in the other.  (Toronto Star)  MORE:  Gunman calls bus driver a hero

 

BIG market

BRAMPTON - It's like stealing a house.  Heavy construction equipment - graders, backhoes and other pieces that cost up to $300,000 each - sit on the side of the road, or in the middle of a housing sub-division project - and are easy pickings for thieves.   (Sun Media)

 

Return fraud

NANAIMO - More and more retailers are getting stung by criminals returning stolen merchandise or items bought using stolen or fake credit cards, and many are reacting by tightening their return policies.  (Nanaimo Daily News)

 

Top business scams of 2009

This year, the Top Ten Scams focuses in on dubious practices of online commerce, asking consumers to read the fine print BEFORE you click “yes.” Complaints in 2009 run the gamut from teeth whiteners to premium text messages to government grants, but all tie back to consumers unwittingly consenting to sign up for the service or product.  (Better Business Bureau)

RELATED:   Rogers charges for 'free' text messages   Plain English

 

Thieves detained

KRAKOW - Polish police detained five men for stealing the metal sign that hung over the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz, and said they were common thieves, not neo-Nazis.   (Reuters)

MORE:  'Ordinary thieves'   Sign recovered   Thieves steal entrance sign   'An abominable act'   Auschwitz concentration camp   Arbeit macht frei  

 

Attempted carjacking

REGINA - Saskatchewan Party MLA Lyle Stewart was driving into Regina from his Thunder Creek constituency on a gravel road when he stopped to offer assistance to a man whose truck was in the ditch.  The man, with a few "expletives deleted," then informed Stewart he had a knife and he wanted the rancher and ex-cabinet minister's car.  Bad move, evidently.  (Regina Leader-Post)

 

Fallen firefighters honoured

TORONTO - Twenty-eight firefighters who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty were honoured as their names were added to the firefighter's memorial at Queen's Park.  (CTV)  MORE:  Firefighters' memorial rises from ashes   Honour roll  

 

Few options for victim

MONTREAL - When a cyclist skidded into Léna Chabot while she was walking on Mount Royal, leaving her with cracked ribs, bruises and cuts in the shape of a bicycle chain, she was incredulous. She also soon discovered that as a victim of such an incident, she is nearly powerless.  (Montreal Gazette)  RELATED:  Man charged after hitting girl with golf cart

   

BC truck safety report

VANCOUVER - Truck drivers in BC were to blame in 18.9% of fatal accidents, compared to 14.8% in the Western region, 10% in Central Canada, and 12.2% in the Atlantic.   (Vancouver Sun)   REPORT:  Best practices for truck safety   .pdf   Random truck safety inspection

Ticket princess nabbed again

TORONTO - Since her 18th birthday earlier this year, Connie Nydam has raked in five driving convictions and two licence suspensions.   (Sun Media)   MORE:  Drunk speeder tried to flee on transit bus   Morning chase leads to charges   Woman charged

     

Control of temples the prize

TORONTO - Disputes have exploded into violence at several Sikh holy sites in recent days; some link the skirmishes to a broader battle for territory between two umbrella groups that each control about a dozen large Ontario temples. At the heart of the matter is a desire for ultimate power - for he who controls the temple controls the cash, the community and the politician's ear, or so the story goes.  (National Post)  

Shaming of the majority

Shoot Dosanjh 'ASAP'

Online death threats

Temple clashes 'all about greed'

Violence mars image

Rumble at temple

'Martyr' float appears

Kirpan stabbing  

Politicians boycott celebration

 
     

Police warn against vigilantism

REGINA - With public interest still high in the Dustin LaFortune case, the Regina Police Service does not want to see anyone take their concerns over the man’s injuries one step too far.   (Regina Leader-Post)  

'Wanted' poster

Police tight lipped

'So many strange noises'

Dustin Paxton

Kin pursue suspect

Alleged torturer's winding criminal journey

Details emerge

Possible torture

 
     

Villages fined

GRAND FALLS - 4 Newfoundland communities were handed the minimum fine for refusing to shut down their local landfills and truck their garbage to a superdump.  (CBC)

A pint-sized ripoff

VICTORIA - Had a pint of beer at your local pub lately? Not likely, and certainly not legally.  (Vancouver Sun)

 
     

Canada we have a problem

TORONTO - Between 30-40% of Ontario students in Grades 3 and 6 do not read, write or do math at the provincial standard.  (CP)   MORE:  Half of Canadians struggling with literacy   Canadian Council of Learning

Traffic deaths drop

EDMONTON - Traffic deaths decreased more than 10% from 2007 to 2008, the Alberta government reported.  But it appears the overall number of accidents has risen over the past four years.  (CTV)  PREVIOUS:  Impaired crashes

 
     

Murder for hire plot

VICTORIA -  Dr. Joseph King, 42, is the co-founder of Clearly Lasik, which operates at 3550 Saanich Rd., as well as at clinics in Vancouver, Edmonton, Seattle and Portland.  King’s business partner and ex-brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Mockovak, 51, was charged in Washington state with two counts of criminal solicitation to commit murder in connection with an alleged plot to kill King and former colleague Brad Klock.  (Victoria Times Colonist)

Legal fund created

EDMONTON - Empathy, not sympathy, is motivating a local injured workers group to set up a legal defence fund for Patrick Clayton, the accused Workers' Compensation Board gunman, says the group's vice-president.   (Sun Media)  MORE:  No major changes planned for WCB   Gunman apologizes   Hostage taking ends peacefully   Hostage 'show' over, real problems remain   Gunman known for his temper   Frustration over WCB   WCB

 
     

Private firms strike government gold

OTTAWA - Private firms hit pay dirt and taxpayers got the tab when the Royal Canadian Mint launched an investigation into $20M worth of missing gold, most of which turned out not to be missing at all.  (Toronto Star)

Mint can't count

Missing Mint gold revealed

Liquid gold

Royal Canadian Mint

Real gold gone

Not accounting error

Tour guide not briefed on spin

Mint freezes bonus pay

 
     

Alberta targets child support

CALGARY - Alberta has placed photos of its 10 most wanted "deadbeat dads" online as part of a new interactive website that is meant to help track down parents owing child support.  (CBC)

Ontario's new BAC rules

TORONTO - As of May 1, a driver caught with a blood alcohol level (BAC) between 0.05 and 0.08 will have their licence suspended for three days.  (CBC)   MORE:  Tougher rules questioned

 
     

Homes looted

KELOWNA - Thousands of West Kelowna, BC, residents streamed happily back to their homes as a wildfire threat receded, but that joy of return was shattered for some who found their homes looted. (CP)

Unorthodox anticrime program

NEW YORK - The initiative, run by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, targets violent crime and open-air drug markets that are the scourge of some communities. (Wall Street Journal)   MORE:  National network for safe communities

 
     

Sentence passed

TORONTO - The birth parents who abandoned a newborn baby in a frigid stairwell early last year have been sentenced - and neither will be spending any more time in custody.   (CTV)   MORE:  Parents sentenced, released  Price for abandoning baby   Abandoned baby named 'Angelica-Leslie'

Police: drop charges

SUTTON, Ont. - Police are recommending charges be dropped against a 15-year-old boy who made national headlines after punching a classmate when a racial slur was allegedly hurled his way.  (CP)  MORE:  The wimpification of the west   Vested interested 'adults' escalated a schoolyard scuffle   Bullied teen charged

 
     

Security guard survives gunshot

TORONTO - Body armour only a few millimetres thick saved the life of a Yorkdale Shopping Centre security guard shot in the chest during an arrest.   (Sun Media)  MORE:  Mall guard shot in scuffle   We must stop glossing over violence

Bank robberies charged

OTTAWA - Police arrested five suspects - including two 13-year-olds - on robbery and conspiracy charges after three Ottawa banks were robbed in a matter of hours.  (Ottawa Citizen)

 
     

Details omitted from report

WINNIPEG - Brian Sinclair didn't have much of a chance when he showed up at the Health Sciences Centre emergency room on Sept. 19, 2008.  (Sun Media)

Baby formula hot item

TORONTO - Baby formula is costly - about $30 in powdered form per 800-gram tin - and it attracts shoplifters because it can be easily sold on the black market.   (Toronto Star)

 
     

Father-son duo arrested again

TORONTO - A man accused with his son of bullying a west-end neighbourhood for three years was arrested again yesterday in a Toronto court where his son was being sentenced.   (Sun Media)  MORE:  Bully out of jail   Neighbour from hell

Pilot charged

ST. LOUIS, MO. - Adam Dylan Leon has been charged with transportation of stolen property and illegal entry for flying the Cessna 172 airplane into the US from Canada.    (CanWest)  PREVIOUS:  Attempted suicide by fighter jet   Stolen plane leads bizarre chase

 
     

ICBC names top frauds of 2008

VANCOUVER - ICBC's special investigations unit has named its top five frauds of 2008.  The list is put together by the people who investigate insurance claims to make sure they're legitimate.  (Vancouver Province)   MORE:  Scams of 2008   BBB top 10 scams of 2008

Teens in & out of psychiatric ward

WINNIPEG - The two teens charged with planning a major killing spree in Winnipeg have spent time in psychiatric institutions, and that they had no intention of being taken alive after the attack they allegedly planned.   (CTV)   PREVIOUS:  Duo accused of plotting a bloodbath

 
     

Broken windows theory

If you saw $10 in an envelope sticking out of a mailbox, would you steal the money, or pop the envelope in the mail?  If there is graffiti all over the mailbox or lots of litter on the ground, you'd be twice as likely to take the cash, according to a provocative study that taps into a shady side of human behaviour.  It also lends support to the controversial "broken windows" theory behind crime and anti-graffiti prevention programs.  (CanWest)   Spreading of disorder

Shooter says she is a vet

GIBSONS - A woman who allegedly went on a shooting rampage at a care home here was a military vet who claimed she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia following a car accident.  (Vancouver Province)   MORE:  Canadian Forces trying to establish military record   Victim's family on edge   Shooting in assisted-living home   Evicted woman opens fire    Bullets fly at nursing home   2 in hospital after shooting   Woman in wheelchair opens fire

 
     

Grandmother beats charge

TORONTO - Jane Raham, 62, a grandmother with a clean driving record and a fear of transport trucks, just drove a big hole through one of the Ontario government's signature laws.  (Sun Media)  

'Stunt-driving' grandma

ON to appear street racing ruling

Street Racing Nonexistent Problem, Stats Show

Speeding isn't stunt driving

Street racing laws unconstitutional

Stunt-racing law challenged

 
     

Charges dropped

TORONTO - The Crown has withdrawn charges against former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant in connection with the death of Darcy Allan Sheppard.  (Toronto Star)  

28 seconds  

Criminal charges withdrawn  

Charges dropped

Bryant ordered not to drive

Michael Bryant  

Darcy Allan Sheppard

Spinning the 1st week

Deadly duel

Police had contact with cyclist

Dispute leads to cyclist's death

Fatal crash

Traffic signs can make streets dangerous

 
     

Canadiens players linked

MONTREAL - NHL security officials are on their way to Montreal to speak with police and investigate allegations that some Canadiens players have links with a man accused of dealing drugs.   (CanWest)   MORE:  Security probes Canadiens' connection   Jabs 'concerned' players hung out with alleged dealer   Andrei & Sergei Kostitsyn

Call for job safety

CALGARY - A provincial court judge is calling on the province to consider changing the Occupational Health and Safety Code to cover group home workers who deal with potentially violent individuals in light of the murder of a youth worker at the hands of a teen in her care.  (Calgary Herald)   MORE:  Inquiry judge recommends changes

 
     

Inquest called

CAMBRIDGE BAY - Nunavut's chief coroner has called an inquest into the death of Julien Tologanak, 20, a Nunavut man who leaped to his death from an airplane that was en route from Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay.    (CBC) 

Jumper detained earlier

Lift a favour

Ground search

Jumper detained earlier

Man leaps 23,000 feet to death

Inuit men commit suicide at rate 28 times that of southern peers

 
     

Death leaves digital trail

EDMONTON - A death in the family no longer simply means sorting through the person's belongings and dividing assets, but also scouring the Internet for the digital trails that linger online in e-mails, blog postings, videos, photos and social networking sites.  (Edmonton Journal)

Half of homeless are addicted

TORONTO - A new report finds that nearly half of the homeless adults in Toronto say they use crack cocaine on a regular basis.  The study by Street Health found that there's an urgent need for non-judgmental crack-specific services aimed at marginalized street people.  (CityNews)

 
     

Pipeline bombing website

PRINCE GEORGE  - The investigation into the bombing of three EnCana pipelines in the Dawson Creek area has turned to the public for information. (Opinion250)   MORE:   www.dawsoncreekbombings.com

'Suspicious package' a bomb

MONTREAL - Police say a bomb found underneath a car parked in the driveway of a Montreal West home has the potential to be more dangerous than initially thought.    (CTV)   MORE:  Bomb squad neutralizes device

 
     

Armed gunmen terrorize jeweller

CALGARY - Armed intruders bound a Calgary jeweller and five others inside an upscale southwest home before robbing his business in a terrifying overnight home invasion.  (Calgary Herald)   PREVIOUS:   Jewelry-heist hostage   Home invasion   Hostages held to rob jewelry store

32 armed robberies

TORONTO - Three Brampton teens are in custody and a fourth suspect is on the run, all alleged to have used knives, meat cleavers and masks in a 32-store string of armed robberies described as one of the most concerted crime rampages the Toronto hold-up squad has seen in years.   (Toronto Star)

 
     

Buzzing

VANCOUVER - Local beekeeprs are buzzing over reports of honey-laundering by unscrupulous importers. (Vancouver Province)   PREVIOUS:  Honey laundering

Elderly turn to crime

TOKYO - Beset by economic worries and loneliness, elderly Japanese are turning to petty crime in increasing numbers, the nation's Justice Ministry reports.  (CNN)

 
     

Students come up with solution

SASKATOON - A text-message to your stolen car, ordering it to shut down, is being heralded as a new way to thwart auto thefts.   (CBC)

Everyone speeds

VANCOUVER - The Traffic Injury Research Foundation is drawing attention to the issue of excessive speeding.   (News1130)

 
     

Man shot by carjackers

EDMONTON - A 29-year-old man who spent his Christmas recovering from a gun shot wound says he suffered the leg injury while trying to sell his car.  He's now issuing a warning to anyone selling their vehicle privately, after a test drive with two prospective buyers turned into an armed carjacking.  (Edmonton Journal)

$25,000 bounty

EDMONTON - City cops want help tracking down an Edmonton man believed to have been involved in an extortion scheme and arsons that terrorized families and caused millions of dollars in damages.  Police say Christopher David Meer  left Canada before he could be arrested and may be in the US or Mexico.  (Sun Media)

 
     

Gifting clubs a pyramid scheme

EDMONTON - Alberta women taking part in so-called gifting clubs may be unwitting participants in a pyramid scheme, the RCMP warned at a press conference.  (Edmonton Journal)  PREVIOUS:  Pyramid clubs

'Substantial' reward

TORONTO - The Bronfman family is offering a reward and full anonymity to the person who returns jewellery stolen in a recent break-and-enter.  (Toronto Star)   MORE:  Bronfman jewellery

 
     

Motorcycle stolen

HAGERSVILLE - Officers say the man was riding north on Indian Line between Villa Nova Road and Concession 2, Townsend, and was seriously injured when the machine went into a ditch and the rider was thrown.  An SUV with several people inside stopped, and one man got out and stole the motorcycle.  The man later died.  (Hamilton Spectator)

Thieves steal jewels

PARIS - Armed robbers have stolen at least $102M worth of jewels from one of Paris's most prestigious jewellery shops, police say.  As many as four robbers, two disguised as women, stormed Harry Winston's store near the Champs-Elysee and stole nearly all its valuables.  (BBC)  MORE:  Robbers steal diamonds   Robbers in drag net $100M in heist

 
     

Give Canadians right to use arms

In a recent Windsor Star article (Cops see spike in number of crime-fighting do-gooders), it was reported that there has been a rise in private citizens defending themselves or others against criminals.  (Windsor Star)

Distracted to death

Ontario is witnessing a deadly jump in crashes caused by drivers fiddling with radios, chatting on cellphones and staring at road signs. (Waterloo Record)   PREVIOUS:   Transit collisions up 63%

Defiant and deadly   Grim toll     After the crash

 
     

Angry ex guilty in house blast

BRAMPTON - A Mississauga man was found guilty of deliberately blowing up his house to get back at his wife.   (TorStar)   PREVIOUS:  Note leads investigators to launch probe

The art of protest

VICTORIA - It takes skill and know-how to protest successfully, and Victoria is producing a bumper crop of well-trained activists. (Victoria Times Colonist)

 
     

‘Exchange bandit' turns himself in

TORONTO - Just one day after Toronto Police and the Canadian Bankers Association announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect dubbed the "Exchange Bandit", the alleged robber surrendered himself.  (CityNews)

Scrivener charged

WINNIPEG - Colin Scrivener, a former member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with an incident in Winnipeg on Aug. 3.   (Regina Leader-Post)  

 
     

Sabotage charges dropped

OTTAWA - A court martial for two Canadian naval officers from CFB Esquimalt will be held in Ottawa next year to hear allegations they corrupted a classified military database, the Department of National Defence said yesterday.   (Victoria Times Colonist)   PREVIOUS:  Forces charge 2 officers

Speeding tickets increase by 1M

LONDON - A million more speeding tickets are being issued every year than a decade ago, the Tories said, raising Ł100m a year in fines.   David Ruffley, the shadow police reform minister, said official figures showed 1,773,412 fixed penalty notices were given to drivers in 2006, up from 712,753 in 1997.   (Guardian UK)

 
     

Passport scandal

BUENOS AIRES - The authorities in Argentina say they have uncovered a multi-million dollar operation in forged Italian passports.  Many of those being investigated are professional footballers.  It is thought they use the false passports to overcome the limit on the number of non-European Union foreigners playing in the Italian league.  (BBC)  PREVIOUS:   Judge orders 120 raids   Passport scandal   Argentina national football team

Skateboarding still a crime

FREDERICTON - A skateboarder jailed last week for refusing to pay a fine for skateboarding on a Fredericton street has received another ticket.  Lee Breen, 25, spent a night in jail last week after he refused to pay a $100 fine for breaking a Fredericton bylaw that was designed to "prevent nuisances" and forbids skateboarding on the road.  (CBC)   PREVIOUS:   Skateboarder sparks debate   City of Fredericton Green Matters   Skateboarder jailed

 
     

Lucky man makes it to Canada

VANCOUVER - A 29-year-old man was arrested by Langley RCMP after being spotted fleeing across the US border in the area of 272nd Street and Zero Avenue.  The man was seen by US Border Patrol officers who arrived on the scene and located two large hockey bags containing 96 pounds of marijuana.   (Vancouver Sun)

Scammer gets 21 months

CHARLOTTETOWN - A Frenchwoman who took two Prince Edward Islanders for more than $50,000 was sentenced Tuesday in Charlottetown to 21 months in jail.   Marie-Claire Mballa has already served six months since her original arrest, and so will serve a further 15.  (CBC)

 
     

Tomb vandalized

MONTREAL - Vandals have spray-painted graffiti on the mausoleum of former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau.  The words "FLQ" and the French word for "traitor" were written in black paint on at least two sides of the massive family tomb, located south of Montreal in Saint-Remi, Que.  (CTV)   MORE:  Vandals spray-paint tomb   Vandals deface tomb

OD spurred dance club raid

TORONTO - It was the death of a Hamilton man who overdosed on the date-rape drug GHB that gave police the green light to raid a downtown after-hours club they have suspected for years was a drug den.  (Toronto Star)   PREVIOUS:  Comfort Zone raid   33 arrested in club raid, drugs seized   Police powerless to close drug 'flea market'

 
     

$100M for victims

TORONTO - The provincial board that compensates victims of violent crime in Ontario is receiving $100 million from the government.  The money will be spread out over two to three years to help the Criminal injuries compensation board speed up the compensation process.  (CBC)

Attempted murder

TORONTO - Kamal Khanna, 44, reportedly was arrested while sitting on the steps of his home in suburban Alliston, Ont. on Tuesday morning when police responded to an emergency call at his home.  (CanWest)   MORE:  Girl in hospital, father charged

 
     

CSI busted

LOS ANGELES - Actor Gary Dourdan, who co-stars on the CBS television hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," has been arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine, heroin and other drugs. (Reuters)

NS teen sentenced in brutal attack

HALIFAX - Brittney McNeil, 18, was convicted for aggravated assault for beating 18-year-old Kathie-Lee Bennet in an attack that included setting the victim's hair on fire and burning her with cigarettes.  (CTV)

 
     

Guilty verdicts

SASKATOON - William Kominetsky, 39, and Thomas Johnson, 31, were found guilty of break and enter and committing the indictable offences of assault causing bodily harm and assault, respectively.  (Saskatoon Star Phoenix)

Investigation launched

QUEBEC CITY - An investigation has been launched following a fire in Quebec City that destroyed most of a historic military armoury.   (CTV)   PREVIOUS:   Fire devours a cornerstone of Canadian history

 
     

Bertuzzi files court action

TORONTO - Todd Bertuzzi has filed court papers against his former Vancouver Canucks coach blaming him for the infamous sucker punch Bertuzzi landed against Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore during an NHL game four years ago, his Toronto-based lawyer said Friday.   (CanWest)

Singer blew almost twice legal limit

SURREY - Chad Kroeger, frontman of BC-based rock band Nickelback, allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .14, almost twice the legal limit, when he was stopped by RCMP nearly two years ago on suspicion of drunk driving. (Vancouver Sun)  MORE:  Kroeger gets fine, driving prohibition

 
     

Enough is enough

WINNIPEG - Trevor Denning, 37, said three children were throwing snowballs at the front window of his home on Isbister Street, in the Assiniboia neighbourhood.  The father of two, a long-haul trucker, crawled to a neighbour's house for help and was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung.  (CBC) MORE:  Time served for teen stabber   Jail for fighting back

Gay, lesbian and bisexual at higher risk of violence

OTTAWA - Gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians are significantly more likely than heterosexual Canadians to fall victim to violent crimes, including sexual assault, robbery and physical assault, according to a new study prepared by Statistics Canada.  (CanWest)  MORE:   Sexual orientation and victimization 2004   Gays report more violent crimes

 
     

Firebombing at NW home

CALGARY - Being awake at 4 am meant Iftikhar Ahmed was able to see an assailant holding a Molotov cocktail approach his house on Panatella Boulevard NW and throw it at an upstairs window. (Calgary Herald)

Your rig could be impounded

VICTORIA - BC's transportation minister has a warning for owners of heavy commercial vehicles not up to safety standards: Your rig could be going to jail.   (Vancouver Province)   MORE:  Is the next truck tragedy waiting

 
     

Walk4Justice in Regina

REGINA - A group of walkers is determined to bring justice to the more than 3,000 missing and murdered women and children in Canada.   (Regina Leader-Post)

Walk 4 justice

Walk4Justice 2008 Vancouver to Ottawa

Walk across Canada puts focus on missing, murdered women

 
     

Families face eviction

LONDON - Parents who fail to take responsibility for their unruly offspring will be thrown out of council accommodation or be forced to attend intensive classes under the Government's youth crime strategy to be unveiled by ministers.   (Telegraph UK)  

 

Parents to blame

Offenders to face victims

Knife crime claims 60 victims a day

Knife crime 'overtakes terrorism'

Guardian: knifecrime

 
     

Canada #11

LONDON - Canada is among the more peaceful countries in the world, but still a ways from the top, according to the Global Peace Index released by Britain's Economist Intelligence Unit.   (AP)

Denmark 'happiest place on earth'

Canada 8th

Global Peace Index 2008

GPI Canada 2008

The happiest places on earth

World Database of Happiness

World map of happiness  .pdf  

 
     

Letter bomb suspect

TORONTO - The man accused of last month’s letter bombings in Toronto and Guelph may have been acting on personal grudges, targeting his former lawyer and a past neighbour among his victims, sources say.  (National Post)   PREVIOUS:  Letter-bomb suspect seemed unstable   Police probe letter bomb mystery

'Relief' at last

EDMONTON - Lesley Miller gasped, then wept quietly after Leo Teskey was found guilty of a brutal assault more than seven years ago that left her husband an invalid.  Dougald Miller was left an invalid by Teskey's assault on Nov. 21, 2000. . (Edmonton Journal)   MORE:   'He never showed any remorse'

 
     

4 months for promoting hatred

FORT ST. JOHN - Keith Francis William Noble, 31, was accused of disseminating hateful messages on a website reported to police in December 2004.  (Vancouver Province)

72-year-old charged

CALGARY - It's not your grandpa's hobby garden: A 72-year-old city man is at the centre of a $3-million drug bust, accused of growing marijuana crops in his Whitehorn house.  (Calgary Herald)  

 
     

Cops at odds on tactics

MONTREAL - Police officers on duty when violence broke out after Monday night's playoff game were not trained to handle the situation, the head of the Montreal police brotherhood says.  The violence, touched off as thousands of people were on Ste. Catherine St. W. celebrating the Montreal Canadiens' victory over the Boston Bruins, caused damage to 16 police vehicles and 10 buildings. (Montreal Gazette) 

 

Gazette photos

Hockey hooligans give real fans a bad rap

Fear and loathing on Ste. Catherine St.

Throw the book at playoff hooligans

Streets Erupt

Pandemonium in downtown core

Rioters torch police cars

Citizen 'snitches'

 
     

Civic most stolen vehicle

For the third year in a row, the Honda Civic tops the Insurance Bureau of Canada's list of the 10 most-stolen vehicles.  The 1999 and 2000 Civic SiR two-door cars take first and second spots in this year's ranking.  (Vancouver Province)   MORE:   Top 10 most-stolen cars   They were movie stars before the cops came calling   Driver charged in crash   Mazda 3 owners want to sue for bad locks

Tories fight for jailed millionaire

OTTAWA - Despite numerous diplomatic efforts - including a meeting in Sofia last year between Bulgaria's top prosecutor and Secretary of State Jason Kenney, at which Mr. Kenney pleaded for the return of 55-year-old Michael Kapoustin - Bulgaria refuses to transfer a man it once labelled an international swindler.  (CanWest)   MORE:  Canadian in Bulgarian prison ignored by Grits   Glass Hill

 
     

A game of khat & mouse

TORONTO - One after another, customers entered her tiny corner store and left carrying small plastic bags containing foot-long plant stems sprouting dark green leaves.  Another shipment of "Khat” had arrived. (National Post)

FBI dusts off D.B. Cooper

PORTLAND - The man calling himself Dan Cooper, also known as D.B. Cooper, boarded a jet in Portland for Seattle the night of Nov, 24, 1971 and commandeered it, claiming he had dynamite.  (AP)  MORE:  FBI: D.B. Cooper redux

 
     

Ramage sentenced to 4 years

NEWMARKET - Former NHLer Rob Ramage was sentenced to four years in jail after being found guilty in October of impaired driving causing death and four other charges in the December 2003 automobile accident that claimed the life of former Chicago Black Hawks defenceman Keith Magnuson.  (CanWest)  MORE:  Ramage sentenced   Ramage appeals term

Cat microwaving teens spared jail

CAMROSE - Two teenagers who cooked a Camrose cat to death in a microwave have been banned from playing violent video games and cannot own animals for at least two years, which means one boy's family must get rid of a dog they bought 10 weeks ago.   (Edmonton Journal)  PREVIOUS:  Fifth teen charged in cat killing   Web outs 4 in cat killing

 
     

Jones returns Olympic medals

SALVO, NC - Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones has relinquished the five Olympic medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Games and accepted a two-year ban after admitting she used performance-enhancing drugs, the US Anti-Doping Agency said on Monday.  (Reuters)  PREVIOUS:  Jones admits steroid use

Viewers think Internet fire videos cool, but stupid

Recent incidents involving Canadian students have revealed a cottage industry of online videos in which teenagers - almost all male - pull dangerous stunts for the benefit of cameras held by cackling sidekicks.  (CanWest)  PREVIOUS:  Teen combustion a trend

 
     

Police find missing Quebec teen

MASCOUCHE - Police have found a missing Quebec teen after she left a note saying she had been "sold" to someone for about $3,000 in cash and drugs, and are investigating whether the disappearance was a hoax. .  (CTV)  PREVIOUS:  Missing teen 'sold' into prostitution, police say

Man sentenced for brutal assault

CALGARY - The prolonged attack by a man on his former girlfriend over a two-day period nearly two years ago was "terrorizing, nothing short of torture," a judge said Thursday in sentencing him to six years in prison.   (Calgary Herald)     PREVIOUS:  Prosecutor details brutal attack, torture of woman    Michael Brian Clark

 
     

New charges

VANCOUVER - Tracy Lloyd Caza, 47, faces a charge of break and enter, assault and attempt to defraud in relation to an incident Nov. 14 in the 3500-block Vanness Street.  (Province)

Suspect has history of preying on seniors

Rings nowhere to be found

Alleged ring thief has more than 50 convictions

Ring thief a professional

 
     

Strip-or-get bombed threat spreads

PHOENIX - A telephone caller making a bomb threat to a Hutchinson, Kan., grocery store kept more than 100 people hostage, demanding they disrobe and that the store wire money to his bank account.   (KPHO)   MORE:  Maine bomb threat at supermarket linked to national scam

4 charged in house takeover

OTTAWA -  Police allege the quartet had moved in on the four-person family living there and began using it as a base for dealing drugs.  The family, a man and a woman, a boy, 16, and girl, 15, were intimidated, police said and afraid to complain to authorities.  (Ottawa Citizen)

 
     

Killer's art for auction

OTTAWA - The prison artwork of a notorious Canadian killer is being offered for sale on an American website that promotes criminals as celebrities.  More than half a dozen items produced by cult killer Roch Theriault at the Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick are up for auction on MurderAuction.com, which specializes in so-called "murderabilia."  (Star)

DVD's weren't what expected

MONTREAL - Fans of vintage U.S. television programs around the world complain they have been duped over the Internet by a Montreal company.  On a popular consumer complaint website, dozens of them point the finger at Garcia Media Group Inc. and an associated website, tvboxset.com.  (Montreal Gazette)  

 
     

The most dangerous cities

First, the good news. For the second year in a row, Caledon, Ont., 40 km northwest of Toronto and a world away, ranks as the safest city in MacLean's annual crime ranking of Canada’s 100 largest cities. (Macleans) PREVIOUS:   5 most dangerous cities are in BC   The best and worst of Canada   The most dangerous cities in Canada

Man questioned over tycoon 'plot'

LONDON - A man has been questioned in connection with an alleged attempt to assassinate Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky. Scotland Yard said the man was arrested in central London on 21 June on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.  (BBC)  PREVIOUS:   Brazilian judge orders the arrest of Berezovsky   Tevez's agent pursued by Interpol   Carlos Tevez

 
     

House party turns ugly

VANCOUVER - Leslie Laforest has discovered how quickly a teen's house party can get overwhelmed with uninvited guests in an era of cellphones and text messaging.  (Sun)

Hot house

WINNIPEG - City police said Friday a 36-year-old Winnipeg man faces charges for allegedly stealing a house.  (Winnipeg Free Press)   MORE:  Turned stolen house into parking lot

 
     

Gutted Saltspring retreat

SALTSPRING ISLAND - Fire destroyed the Saltspring Island Village Resort’s 30,000-square-foot main clubhouse and adjacent pool building.  Cpl. Kerry Howse of the Saltspring RCMP Detachment said the cause of the fire is under investigation.   (CanWest)

Reuters gets that sinking feeling

News agency Reuters has been forced to admit that footage it released last week purportedly showing Russian submersibles on the seabed of the North Pole actually came from the movie Titanic.  (Guardian UK)  MORE:  Finnish teen sinks Russian TV's titanic polar ploy

 
     

Sunken ship leaves oil spill

KING GEORGE ISLAND - The cruise ship operated by a Canadian company that struck an iceberg in the Antarctic and sank to the bottom of the ocean last week is causing a 1.5 kilometre-long diesel spill, Chilean officials say.   (CTV)  

 

Passengers leave Antarctic

Watching the sunrise from a lifeboat

Gore’s buddy left carbon footprint

Abandon ship

MS Explorer

 
     

Afraid to go into some city areas

WINNIPEG - Winnipeggers are the most likely to say they're afraid to set foot in some parts of their city, a Canada West Foundation survey of residents of seven Canadian cities has found. . (Winnipeg Free Press) 

Anti-narcotics official found guilty

UN - A Dubai court found Canadian anti-narcotics official Bert Tatham guilty today on drug possession charges, sentencing him to four years in prison in the Arab emirate.  (CanWest)   MORE:  Dubai sentences BC man to prison

 
     

Massive Tsartlip artifact stolen

MAYNE ISLAND - A massive stone bowl believed to be between 4,000 and 6,000 years old has been stolen from a beach on Mayne Island, an area belonging to the Tsartlip First Nation.   (Victoria Times Colonist) 

Curbside justice nets $80M

TORONTO - Courier companies are Toronto's biggest parking violators. Of the top five ticket recipients in 2006, three were international couriers: Federal Express, United Parcel Service and Purolator.  (Toronto Star)

 
     

Makah to reassure senators

WASHINGTON - A high-level delegation from the Makah Tribe is to meet with Washington's two senators Wednesday in an effort to reassure them that the tribe did not approve of the killing of a gray whale last weekend.  (Seattle PI) 

Hunting for trouble in the path of whales

'What type of culture needs a machine gun to kill

Makah on 'damage control' mission

Debate grows over tribal whale hunts

Some Island bands keen on whale hunt

Whale dies after shooting, harpooning by Makah

 
     

Bouncers walk, police scolded

WINNIPEG - Three bouncers have been cleared of manslaughter charges in the death of a patron outside a Winnipeg nightclub in February, 2004.   Associate Chief Justice Jeffrey Oliphant, in a written decision released Thursday, said the actions of the three bouncers during a scuffle outside The Beach nightclub at the Pembina Highway Canad Inns were justified.   James Ronald Hanson, 28, died of asphyxiation following the skirmish with security staff.   (Free Press)

Pop tart justice

HOLLYWOOD - Lindsay Lohan has been busted yet again for DUI, and Nicole Richie also faces jail time for driving under the influence. With their on-again, off-again cohort Paris Hilton having just been sprung from the slammer, Lohan and Richie may well be next in line for what some call a crackdown on Hollywood’s bad girls.  (Fox) PREVIOUS:  California's overcrowded prisons subject of court hearing     California prisons bursting at seams

 
     

Father charged after teens hit

TORONTO - A court decided to keep a Toronto man who allegedly tried to run over his daughter, her brother-in-law and her boyfriend in jail until his bail hearing on Monday.  (CTV)  PREVIOUS:  The feud and the firebomb   Teen hero's home firebombed   Bullies suspected in house fire

Hired killer pleads guilty

MONTREAL -  The 27-year-old man hired to rub out hot dog king Konstantinos Kyvetos – owner of a string of down-market La Belle Province fast-food restaurants – has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, attempted murder, arson and obstruction of justice.  (Toronto Star)

 
     

Violent crime on the rise in US

WASHINGTON - The nation's murder rate rose slightly last year but the number of robberies skyrocketed by 6 percent, preliminary FBI data released Monday show.  The statistics were part of an overall 1.3 percent rise in violent crime across the country in 2006 -- the second straight annual increase.  (AP)  PREVIOUS:   2006 preliminary annual uniform crime report   The Crime-Statistics Con Job

China aghast at 'sacrifice' of 288 pupils

KARAMAY - When the first flames flared around the theatre’s stage, many of the excited Chinese children watching must have thought it was all part of the show.  Within minutes 288 of them were dead, a tragedy that has haunted their parents for more than a decade but was forgotten by many as China began its headlong rush to prosperity.  (Times online)

 
     

Families of crime victims

EDMONTON - A group of grieving Edmontonians who have lost loved ones to violent crimes is hoping to join people from across Canada to push for changes to the criminal justice system.   (Edmonton Journal)   PREVIOUS:  Families Against Crime & Trauma (FACT)

Study uncovers highest crime rates in small towns

The Statistics Canada study of police-reported data in 2005 found that overall crime rate in small urban areas was 43 per cent higher than in large urban areas, and 58 per cent higher than in rural areas.     (CTV)

 
     

Rosato sent to psychiatric institution

KINGSTON - Comic actor Tony Rosato has exchanged his jail cell for a hospital room.  Justice Gordon Thomson of the Superior Court yesterday found Rosato guilty of criminally harassing his wife but sentenced him to a conditional discharge.  (Toronto Star)  

 

Judge's verdict reveals comic's sad descent

Rare disorder centre state

Capgras delusion (Capgras's syndrome)

From jokester to jailbird

 
     

No jail time

LONDON - More than half of all hardened and violent criminals are escaping a prison term, according to a new Civitas report, which severely criticized the Government's claims to be tough on crime.   (Telegraph UK) 

 

Prison Policy Briefing Jan 09   .pdf

One arrested person in three is on hard drugs

 
     

National day of mourning - April 28

OTTAWA - The numbers are staggering. In Canada, some 855 employees die from work-related incidents each year, averaging more than 2 deaths every day. (CCOHS)   MORE:   Families pay tribute to 124 Alberta workplace victims   More than 200 Quebecers died on the job last year

Nanaimo man returns from trip

NANAIMO - When Tim Lander left for Europe there were only two tenants staying with him in his south Nanaimo home.  When he got back after three weeks, more than 30 heroin addicts had moved in and staked their claim on his turn-of-the-century house, dealing drugs and wreaking havoc on the neighbourhood.  (CanWest)  

 
     

Another YCJA success story

WINNIPEG - A Winnipeg teen who led police on a dangerous, high-speed car chase was wanted for questioning following a deadly crash involving a stolen Hummer earlier this month.  (Mike on Crime)  

2nd arrest  

Auto theft family in probe   

Crash suspect has been banished to SK  

Arrest made    Teen charged  

Manslaughter charge  

Serial auto thief accused

Escape at all costs

Inside the mind of the teen car thief

Scared straight

3rd time for 16-year-old

Banished

Suspects resort to more violence

Mayor blasts feds over car thefts

Laughing car thief back in jail

Laughing car thief out again

Cabbies death a joke to teen

5 youths charged

What will it take  

Youths arrested after SUV hits officers

Car thief must pay

Firebug says she'll 'do it again'

Car thieves target cops

Suspect's bail gets forceful challenge

 
     

Heath Canada mark-up 1,500%

OTTAWA - The federal government charges patients 15 times more for certified medical marijuana than it pays to buy the weed in bulk from its official supplier, newly released documents show.   (CP)

Councillor's suite declared unfit for habitation

WINNIPEG - City councillor Harvey Smith has been evicted from a West End apartment declared "unfit for human habitation" by city health inspectors.   (Winnipeg Free Press)

 
     

Police arrest suspects in fire bombings

MONTREAL - Police have arrested two suspects for allegedly firebombing a Jewish community centre and school.  The two suspects, 22-year-old Azim Ibragimov and 24-year-old Omar Bulphred, are both charged with arson.   (CTV)   MORE:  Pair denied bail

Relatives responsible for most violence against seniors

Seniors are less likely to be the victims of violent and property crimes than younger Canadians, but when they are victimized, it's often at the hands of a family member, according to a new study released yesterday.  (CanWest)   MORE:  Seniors as victims of crime

 
     

Girl sentenced as youth

DARTMOUTH - A 15-year-old girl who took part in a brutal beating last September has been sentenced as a young offender to two years in custody.  (CBC)

Teen gets 6 years for attack

Teen recounts horror of beating

'I just wanted them to stop

2 girls sentenced for beating

Teenage girls held in beating

 
     

Attempted murder

WINNIPEG -   Four teenage suspects face a number of charges in connection with the alleged beating and stabbing of a 14-year-old girl, said police.  (CTV)  

Lesbian love triangle cited in attack

Guilty in ‘mob beating’

Swarming kids

Winnipeg swarming

81 charges laid after swarmings

9 charged in swarmings

Charges laid in swarming

Mob attack

Police investigate attack

Calgary swarming

Swarming caught on tape

Swarmings

Swarming worth 6 months

Swarming

Police shocked by alleged attack

Details emerge in vicious teen beating

Swarming with a hatchet

iPod muggings on rise

Team suspended

2nd teen charged

Residents on edge over swarmings

Ring uses swarming tactics to shoplift

Youth violence escalating coast to coast

Solving the case is just the first step

2006 Crime Stats Analysis

Pair accused of stabbing

Swarming-type robberies

Police snare 'wolf pack'

Bail delayed for accused in brutal teen beating

Assault over 'ratting

Paying the price for stepping up

Caught on tape

Common criminals' most common crime

Victim says he wouldn't help again

Struggling against crime - and extinction

'Shock, sadness and ... hate consumed me'

Swarming at Montreal high school

 
     

7 arrested

VANCOUVER - Seven men have been arrested following a major copper theft incident at a BC Hydro substation in South Vancouver.  The thieves caused about $3M in damage to the substation.  (Vancouver Sun)

Dealer helps identify a suspect

Woman with stolen plaque caught on tape

VPD pleads with recyclers

Statue stolen

Home gutted

Left without 911 in Maple Ridge

Scarp metal more profitable

Cracking down on the metal thieves

200 cases of lead theft in 150 days

Copper capers

Copper thieves cost Telus more than just wire

Would-be copper thief electrocuted

Man burned trying to steal copper wire

Police target scrap metal dealers

Thieves gripped by metal mania in BC

Statue head rescued from smelter

Head found; man charged

Head of Oakville statue recovered

Massive statue stolen

The case of the missing statue

Heavy equipment brings big bucks

Thieves lured by shine of metal

Thieves steal copper vases from gravesites

 
     

Dogs still best deterrent

VANCOUVER - Smart policing technology is being credited for a dramatic reduction in auto crime across BC, but thieves still rank good old-fashioned police dogs as their No. 1 fear.  (Vancouver Province)   MORE:  Top 10 fears of car thieves    Top 10 Vehicles stolen in BC during 2005

RCMP ask for help in wild horse shootings

CALGARY - Alberta Mounties hope a wristwatch, a disposable coffee cup, a hamburger wrapper and a plastic sausage roll container will lead them to whoever is killing horses in the western foothills.  (CBC)  PREVIOUS:  Wild horses of Alberta society

 
     

The great TTC scam

NIAGARA FALLS, NY - The Fed Ex driver's delivery to a rundown apartment above Rainbow Mart, a store specializing in beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets, was an unusually heavy one.  Any curiosity over what the 18 boxes contained quickly evaporated, however, when one fell and the packaging split. Out trickled metal tokens, each about the size and colour of a dime.  (National Post)

LCBO guards don uniforms after Youtube identity mix-up

TORONTO - A YouTube video in which bewildered bystanders grill several plainclothes guards as they restrain a suspected shoplifter outside a Toronto-area liquor store has prompted the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to review its security policy.  All guards are required to wear uniforms, at least until the incident has been fully investigated.  (CBC)

 
     

Teen sentenced to youth facility

REGINA - A Regina teenager who set dozens of fires in a residential neighbourhood last year has been sentenced to spend time in a youth facility.  The 17-year-old male pleaded guilty in November to 43 counts of arson for setting fires in the city's north-central area.  (CBC)   MORE:  12-month sentence for teen arsonist

Snipes acquitted of tax fraud

OCALA, Fla. - Actor Wesley Snipes was found guilty Friday on three misdemeanor charges of failing to file tax returns - but jurors cleared him of more serious felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.   (CNN)   PREVIOUS:  All kinds of crazy   Snipes indicted for $12M tax fraud   Snipes indicted

 
     

RCMP suspect foul play in missing forestry worker 

RCMP officials now suspect a missing Alberta forestry worker may have met with foul play, after a massive search failed to find any clues in the woman's disappearance. Her family have asked the public for help in the investigation.  Stephanie Stewart, 70, worked alone as a fire spotter at a remote tower north of Hinton, near the Rocky Mountains.   (CTV)   MORE:   Drug trade fuels fears for missing spotter

Cops: Kims stuck on road opened by vandals

GRANTS PASS, Ore - Authorities in Oregon say the road that James Kim and his family were on when they got stranded is normally blocked by a locked gate during the cold-weather months.  But they say a vandal had cut the lock, leaving the road accessible.  The family was stranded for more than week with little food after driving for 15 miles past the gate.  (AP)  MORE:  A father's fateful quest to save family

 
     

What is cheating?

Fewer than 1 per cent of McMaster students are caught cheating.  The enforcement gap is a big issue in light of a study that finds more than half of undergraduate students in Canada have cheated on written work.  (Hamilton Spectator) MORE:  Campus cheating goes high-tech   Dead plagiarists society

Judge a cartoon critic

CALGARY - Judge Lynn Cook-Stanhope saved her scathing remarks for the animated television show South Park, which she called a "vulgar, socially irreverent program that contributes nothing to society."  (CBC)   PREVIOUS:    Ginger Kids   Stop spanking kids: UN envoy   Blame Canada   Weird Al 'Canadian Idiot'

 
     

World's Most Remarkable Heists

In 1950, when a gang of thieves broke into the heavily guarded offices of the Brinks Mat's armored car company in Boston, the headlines heralded it the crime of the century. The building was considered impenetrable, but the thieves managed to walk out with $2.8 million in cash, checks and money orders.  Today, the Brinks bandits seem like petty crooks robbing a 7-11. (Forbes) 

In Pictures: The World's Most Remarkable Heists

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Ramsbury Manor

Knightsbridge Security Deposit Center

Antwerp Diamond Center

Brinks Mat warehouse

Schipol airport

Banco Central Fortaleza

The Scream

Northern Bank's Belfast headquarters

 
     

Bedard found guilty

QUEBEC - A jury has found former Olympic gold medallist Myriam Bedard  guilty of charges she violated a custody agreement with her former husband.  (Montreal Gazette)

A plot, Bedard claims

Bédard an Olympic-sized oddity

US Marshalls arrest Olympian Bedard

Interpol joins search of Myriam Bedard

Arrest warrant issued for Olympic champ

Arrest warrant issued for Bedard

 
     

Bletchley hums again to the Turing Bombe

LONDON - The last time that the rattle of the Turing Bombe was heard, it was the greatest secret of the British Empire.   With a rumble that turned into a roar, a sound not heard at Bletchley Park for more than half a century, the machine that was at the heart of Britain's wartime code-breaking triumph began to work again. (Telegraph)  PREVIOUS:   Bletchley Park: National Codes Centre   Documents show how Nazi spies tried to outwit Allies   UK National Archives Sept. 2006 releases

Threats force spokesman from MCC

TORONTO - Tarek Fatah had heard threats several times since establishing the Muslim Canadian Congress, but it was being publicly labelled as anti-Islam that prompted the outspoken spokesman to resign from the organization he founded.   In June, Mohamed Elmasry, the national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, named four public figures - Fatah among them, whom he accused of taking every opportunity to bad-mouth the religion.   (CTV)

 
     

Rioters get conditional sentences

ST. ANDREWS, NB - Four men who burned down a house last summer during a riot on New Brunswick's Grand Manan Island will not have to serve more time in jail.  Three of them received conditional sentences, which means they'll have to stay in their homes except to go to work and appointments.  The fourth accused received a conditional discharge, meaning he won't be penalized further unless he fails to keep the peace. (CTV)

Guilty verdicts at vigilante justice trial

4 NB men declared guilty in Grand Manan riot

NB verdict opens island to dealers: resident

Grand Manan mob shouted 'let it burn', jury hears

Man charged with arson in Grand Manan riot

Alleged arsonists hailed as heroes, not criminals

Police appeal for calm during riot talks

Arrests in connection with Grand Manan riot

Riot shows Canadians want crackdown on crime

Mayor calls for calm after riot

 
     

Choking game

TORONTO - At least 79,000 elementary and high school students in Ontario say they've tried the choking game, a dangerous activity in which a person self-asphyxiates or has someone else choke them, a new survey of adolescent behaviour has found.   (CBC)

Ontario student drug use and health survey

Choking game is killing kids  

Ontario teens play choking game

Children choking themselves to death in game

'Choking game' has killed at least 82 kids

Unintentional Strangulation

 

Difficulty of finding missing adults

The FBI's National Crime Information Center said that 576,559 people had been reported missing this year as of September 15.  (CNN)

Mysteries of the missing: 1

Mysteries of the missing: 2

Mysteries of the missing: 3

Mysteries of the missing: 4

BC man discharged from US Marines

CAMP PENDLETON - Nearly 40 years after he deserted his military unit in California and fled to Canada in protest over the Vietnam War, Allen Abney is officially no longer a US Marine.    (Sun)  PREVIOUS:  38 years after deserting    Old wounds reopened as Abney sits in military jail

     

Beauty dies mysteriously on cruise

A new mystery on the high seas is the latest to plague the cruise ship industry, which has been under fire recently for the way it deals with onboard crimes.  The latest involves the sudden death of an aspiring actress during a Carnival cruise in October.  (CBS)

Passenger alerted cruise ship security

Cruise lines take lax approach to crime

A groom's watery grave

Mystery the vanishing cruise ship passengers

Missing ship passenger a Victoria woman

'Cutter' guilty

NEW YORK - A US judge has convicted a man accused of secretly cutting up corpses - including that of veteran BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke - as part of a multi-million dollar body parts scheme.  Chris Aldorasi was found guilty of enterprise corruption and other criminal counts at a trial in Brooklyn.  (AP)

Ringleader pleads guilty

Mastermind pleads guilty

The organ grinder

How a rogue body broker got away with it

US steps up inspections of human tissue

Bodysnatchers stole bones of broadcaster

Body snatchers tied to allograft firms

NYC body part scandal to spawn lawsuits

Police capture body gang

Government 'giving people the right to get high’

VANCOUVER - While conference attendees gathered in Vancouver and other North American cities to find a fix for the global drug mess, addict Renee Kettleman was combing the Lower Mainland for an available bed in a treatment centre.  (Vancouver Province)

Drug conference high on harm reduction

OxyContin

Heroin losing its popularity

Painkiller addictions trump heroin use: study

Superbug infections up 150%

More junk science and lack of common sense

Free crack mouthpieces on the way

Against the law: Calgary

Approach to crime lets law-breakers run wild

3 Cocaine bricks found, judge throws out charges

SFU prof takes prize

Decriminalize pot: Campbell

Police charged 63 in drug sweep

Judge rules pot possession laws unconstitutional

Rules set to loosen for issuing narcotics

City police getting tougher with pot

Potmobile busted in ferry lineup

Pot busts bounce back

Victoria seeks aid to treat chronic criminals

INCB Annual report

Regional Highlights  .pdf

Marijuana production in the US (2006)

Drunk until proven innocent 

Conservatives table drug-impaired driving bill

The changing face of crack addiction

Doctors contribute to addictions in Canada

Giving cash to addicts doesn't solve problem

Gov't targets meth with more funds

Drug treatment court proposal lauded

100% purity crystal meth taken off streets

America's most dangerous drug

Cannabis drug on sale in Canada

Kidnapping was gang-related: police

Pot report outlines what police already know   Nine Strikes - You're Out…Sort Of

Pot use doubled over past decade: study

Another bloated bureaucracy in the works

Meth addiction spreading

Some facts about crystal meth and its effects

A closer look

CBC Indepth: Crystal meth

Combating crystal meth

A Family's Fight Against Crack - (Montreal Gazette)   PREVIOUS:   Part 1    Part 2    Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7

Medical marijuana sub-standard

Institute: government should cash in on pot

Border inspector arrested in smuggling case

Canadian customs officer smuggling pot

Canada's growing marijuana problem

     

Anti-Semitic crime stats refuted

MONTREAL - A May 5 article in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz depicting Montreal’s Orthodox community as living in fear in the wake of a supposedly rising number of anti-Semitic incidents and increased gang activity bears little resemblance to the reality on the ground, Jewish community officials say.  (Canadian Jewish News)  

Report on anti-Semitism debunked

Diluting

Anti-Semitic incidents

Audit 2007

2006 Audit

2005 Audit

Money mystery

Eighty years ago Pauline Marsh began a journey that would change her life and her family forever.  They were leaving behind a life of borderline poverty as her father had become suddenly wealthy a few months earlier. (Tri-City Herald)  PREVIOUS:  DeAutremont Brothers

Great-Unsolved Mysteries

A team of historians has been trying to solve some historical "cold cases" - old crimes in which innocent people may have been hanged while the guilty ones walked, and even more insidious crimes where a whole village may have been complicit.   (Canadian Mysteries)

UK: Crime Reduction website

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