Trudeau asked to consider pardon or retrial for Saskatchewan man convicted of killing his daughter who suffered from cerebral palsy

Gratl alleges a miscarriage of justice in his client’s case. He says that although Latimer no longer faces restrictive parole conditions, his life sentence means he lives under the permanent threat of having his parole revoked.

Latimer’s daughter, Tracy, had cerebral palsy following oxygen deprivation at birth. She was 12 in October 1993 when her father killed her by piping exhaust fumes into the cab of his truck.

Latimer appealed after he was convicted of second-degree murder in 1994 and the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial due to jury interference. He was convicted again and eventually sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 10 years.

 

He was granted day parole in February 2008 and full parole in November 2010.

His exhausted all of his appeals, his new application is two-pronged.

The first asks for a ministerial review of his case on the grounds that a miscarriage of justice occurred. It evokes the same section of the Criminal Code used by wrongfully convicted individuals such as David Milgaard. If the minister is satisfied, a new trial could be ordered or the case could be sent back to the Appeal Court for a hearing.

The second argument uses the royal prerogative of mercy, which allows for a pardon to be granted in rare cases where humanity and compassion override the normal administration of justice. Latimer’s application cites a pardon granted in 2012 to a group of Alberta farmers who were charged with violating what was then the Canadian Wheat Board Act by exporting their own grain.

The basis for Latimer’s application centres on the pain management options the Latimers felt they had for Tracy. Court heard that the girl was in severe pain after several surgeries and that the Latimers believed the only medication they could give her was regular Tylenol.

 

Source

 

Commentary by the Ottawa Mens Centre

As much as he was convicted of killing his daughter, he has a point.

Parol is parol, it makes you a target that can have you thrown in jail for life

for the slightest thing. It instills constant fear and anxiety and makes

those on parole do really stupid things but only because they are under stress.

Its like a court ordered form of psychological abuse and the longer the parole exists

the more likely it is it will be broken.

Its a system for corrupt cops and the scum of the authorities who make work by

creating revolving doors. Rotten Cops, Probation Officers, jail guards all

make their living out of this sort of misery where their income creates

the motivation to fabricate evidence, and put the innocent in jail.

Except, Latimer was not innocent and he might yet get what he asks for

an end to his parole.

 

Ottawa Mens Centre