ST. JOHN'S A criminal-record check on a judge-appointee previously convicted of impaired driving initially did not reveal any convictions because of conflicting information about the man's birth date and address, the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial court said Monday.
In a fax sent to The Canadian Press, court services director Pamela Ryder Lahey said a subsequent search on the court's database revealed Donald Singleton was convicted of impaired driving in April 1990.
The error resulted because our database contained entries for more than one Don Singleton showing different dates of birth and different addresses, Ms. Lahey wrote.
A further search of our database revealed that two of these entries, in fact, pertain to the same person. However, a linkage was not made due to the differing information.
Mr. Singleton, a lawyer in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., announced Sunday that he was withdrawing from an appointment to the provincial court bench after the conviction was revealed.
He said he did not reveal the conviction in his application to be judge because he had forgotten about it.
Questions surrounding Mr. Singleton's appointment arose last week after the provincial government confirmed that he had pleaded guilty in 2005 to two charges of possession under the Customs Act following a federal probe into the sale and distribution of duty-free goods at a military base in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
He was granted an absolute discharge, meaning his guilty plea did not create a criminal record.
Justice Minister Tom Marshall said he was not aware of Singleton's impaired-driving conviction until provincial court Chief Judge Reg Reid spoke with him Friday, telling him the lawyer may have had a past conviction. Mr. Marshall said his officials later contacted Mr. Singleton, who confirmed the conviction.
Mr. Marshall said he has asked Judge Reid to review provincial court policies and procedures to ensure that background checks for judicial applicants are more rigorous.
Mr. Singleton was chosen for the provincial court bench in Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., last month upon the recommendation of an independent panel of judges, lay people and a member of the province's law society. He was to have taken the position next month.
Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre in the Globe and Mail
OttawaMensCentre, Canada writes: Go to any northern Ontario community and any frank speaking police office will tell you stories of police officers and judges who were caught drinking and were never charged. Singleton claims he 'forgot', sure he might have, but its far more likely that it was a very self serving memory loss that can only be described as unbelievable. At least drunk drivers get a trial if they are charged. If you are a father asking for access, expect to be thrown in jail on trumped up charges and Family Court Judges orders to prevent you ever having a hearing. See the Roscoe files on judicial bias at OttawaMensCentre dot com. OttawaMensCentre, Canada writes: That's right, he is a lawyer, 'of the right stuff to be a judge'
Posted 12/01/09 at 1:21 PM EST
Justice, oops, Mr. Singleton, is a lucky man who had a trial, spare a thought
for all the thousands of Father's across Canada who are denied a hearing in
Family Court. Ontario Family Court Judges are an embarrassment to the legal
profession world wide. Canada, yes, that land of apparently super clean Mounties
and white snow is a virtual cess pool of injustice when it comes to those who
are lucky enough to have sufficient political influence or should we say, the
potential to "repay the favour" and honour that "code of silence", Criminals
have it, its called "not rating", Judges have it to, the very smart, the most
intelligent use their intelligence not to administer law but to "do indirectly
what is prohibited directly" that means, first of all, just like the worst
criminals, "intimidation", they threaten your job, then have you arrested on
trumped up charges, all to teach the public a lesson that you are not allowed to
criticize the judiciary.
Good judges don't want or need complements, They don't need em, everyone knows
they are saints. The bad, well they operate like criminals everywhere, they
intimidate , they do what is illegal and use their unlimited Judicial authority
to flagrantly abuse that power simply to promote their politically correct war
on men.
We have lots of judges who are known as "the worst judge", they leave lawyers
horrified and revolted, and, they are still there day after day leaving a trail
of destroyed lives and "injustice". Power, Sheffield etc.
Mr. Donald Singleton just failed the intelligence test, to be a judge, not that
he is in anyway unsuited by ethics or integrity. The fact is, most judges in
Ontario are some of the most despised examples of humanity and regardless of
their abuses, regardless of their unsuitability they will be there destroying
lives till they retire. Such is our corrupt judicial council that is a bit like
asking the Hells Angels for help in stamping out the drug trade.
last post 1:54 pm at 2:42 pm posted?
While judges behave like criminals, flagrantly abuse their Power like a and
"behave like Sheffield" we may well find a higher caliber of individual in jail
convicted of a trumped up offense who would make a better judge.
Fact is, most people cannot be entrusted with absolute power, and judges are
human beings. Only problem in Ontario is that the very worst personalities are
those who seek the power and who have an ability to "act", who are incredible
"actors and actresses" and get appointed to the bench so they can "repay the
favour" to the political lobby group that has a pathological dislike to normal
hetrosexual families and men in general.
Our Criminal courts are riddled with judges who hear trials lasting a week or
more where a man is punched in the face by his wife, no evidence of him hitting
her but guess who gets to face a week long trial? Thats right "a man", you see
in Ontario Men are regarded as wild angry bulls while women are sacred cows with
halos around their heads and guess what is preferred not to get on the bench.
Donald Singleton, was just stupid, lots of Criminals who have never been caught
get to be judges and the crime becomes an epidemic. Its time to change that by
having a real Police force for the Judiciary just to keep them doing what they
have a duty to do. But just remember that most our politicians are lawyers and
they are going to rock that criminal boat just yet. see the roscoe files at
www.OttawamensCentre on Judicial bias against men and self reps
1:52 2:52
Plans to put Omar Khadr through pre-trial hearings on an important U.S. public holiday that falls the day before Barack Obama is sworn in as president is a sign of the prosecution's desperation, his Pentagon-appointed lawyer says.
Khadr is due before a military commission in Guantanamo Bay on Jan. 19 Martin Luther King Day
The Star article
thats right, the day before President Obama is sworn in, the Republicans decide to put Khadr through "pre-trial", thats right, on a "public holiday" and hope that it will all blow over. This is called doing indirectly what is prohibited directly, the experts at this little game are those who suffer extreme personality disorders, who don't believe anything equitable unless it satisfies their own political agenda. If you want to see examples of this sort of flagrant abuse of power, just go to any family court in Ontario and watch how children never get to see their fathers again simply because we have a judiciary who wish to satisfy that certain political lobby group of one particular gender who were not born with testicles.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/569463