Robert Latimer denied day parole

[guyser]

Fools! When I felt my teenage sons had something to hide from me, the first place I looked was in the false ceiling in their bedroom. Perhaps the cops should assign searches to lawyers or parents.

You are correct. Parents would have found that by lunch on the first day. It is nothing short of astonishing that the police could not.

And to make it even worse,IIRC, all they had to do was move the potlight, reach up and there they were.

Photos of cops in white suits (anti contamination) in a house that could not have been more than 1500sf for 30 days and couldnt find it?

That right there more than anything is the reason she is out now.

[Leafless]

That is NOT what this case was. when Mr. Latimer put his daughter to death he did not in my opinion have the mens reas required of a criminal intending to kill.

This was not a murder. This was not somebody saying I will kill as Capricorn defined it. There has to be a clear distinction between criminal intent, i.e., a deliberate intent to kill and someone who genuinely was placed in a situation where as a parent his moral duty to assure his daughter would not suffer was paramount.

Latimer DOES NOT OWN HIS DAUGHTER.

If he could not handle her situation, allow someonelse to do it.

Latimer is not God.

Latimer plain and simple murdered his daughter.

[Guest American Woman]

Latimer DOES NOT OWN HIS DAUGHTER.

If he could not handle her situation, allow someonelse to do it.

Perhaps you don't understand the reality. He couldn't bear her being in pain. He couldn't bear her suffering. No one could take away her pain. It wasn't about him and what he could or couldn't "handle." It was about her and the pain she was constantly, forever living with. "Someone else" wasn't any more able to take away her pain than he was. What he did he did for her, not himself.

[Leafless]

Perhaps you don't understand the reality. He couldn't bear her being in pain. He couldn't bear her suffering. No one could take away her pain. It wasn't about him and what he could or couldn't "handle." It was about her and the pain she was constantly, forever living with. "Someone else" wasn't any more able to take away her pain than he was. What he did he did for her, not himself.

It seems you still don't understand an emotionally charged individual like Latimer "not being able to handle it".

Understand it, the man has a problem.

He does not own the child and the pain is not his.

Get over it, life is not risk free.

[buffycat]

We are kinder and more humane to our animals.

Latimer should be allowed to go home, to reunite with his family. The state has stolen the suriving children's Father, time which can never be replaced.

It is shameful.

[noahbody]

Latimer is not God.

Link?

[noahbody]

It seems you still don't understand an emotionally charged individual like Latimer "not being able to handle it".

Understand it, the man has a problem.

Emotionally charged? The emotion is love. Is being a loving parent a problem?

He does not own the child and the pain is not his.

Pain can be torture. Watching someone you love being tortured is painful.

[Leafless]

Emotionally charged? The emotion is love. Is being a loving parent a problem?

That's what I said "emotionally charged".

Love is an emotion, but to most people cannot even be defined, making love a rather nonsensical meaningless word to a direct universal definition.

Pain can be torture. Watching someone you love being tortured is painful.

Enough to murder that person?

Latimer sounds deranged and does need counseling.

[Guest American Woman]

Pain can be torture. Watching someone you love being tortured is painful.

Enough to murder that person?

Latimer sounds deranged and does need counseling.

Try to get this to sink in. Whether you agree with what Latimer did or not, he didn't do it to end his suffering; he did it to end his daughter's suffering.

[fellowtraveller]

One cannot compare those by any stretch.

The first is a classic screw up by police, the other a dad tormented by his own daughters pain and suffering.

That is why I did not compare them, but pointed out that both are the result of a justice system that has lost its way.

Latimer derserved jail time, but enough is enough. Brutal murderers are released before they have served the kind of time he ihas.

With Homolka, once the evidence and the true nature of her actual involvement was confirmed, her 12 year deal sholdhave been voided and she should have stood trial for multiple murders. When you make these deals, you are supposed to depose enitrely and truthfully and if you do not, you pay. The whole thing remains a disgrace on our justice syste.

Latimer is the same in that sense.

[Rue]

In response to Leafless:

"Latimer DOES NOT OWN HIS DAUGHTER."

That is precisely why he set her free.

"If he could not handle her situation, allow someonelse to do it. "

He could handle her situation, it was the medical and now legal communities that can't The medical community told him, time and time again they could not treat his daughter and they had NO facilities or treatments for her.

" Latimer is not God."

He never claimed to be how about you with your sanctimonious pronoucements?

"Latimer plain and simple murdered his daughter."

With your cognitive processes I would imagine many things seem simple.

One day you will be sitting and dying and faced with pain that won't end-pray you are not dependent on someone who has your views and values.

"those quickest to pronounce others as weak are the first to demand the strength of others to sustain them" Lato Tzu

"yah yah I'm going to hell, but I can guarantee you I'm the first face he will see when he dies not Jesus" Jackie Mason

Edited December 9, 2007 by Rue

[FTA Lawyer]

To clarify, the PM has no ability to pardon this man. He can't circumvent the parole process. People are mixing up the legal powers of our Prime Minister with a United States governor. Once someone is convicted of a crime, the Prime Minister can not interfere. In fact once any legal process commences or a politice investigation commences, no politician in Canada has the right to interfere. That would actually be a criminal offense not to mention grounds to impeach them from office.

This is wrong.

I don't expect all out there to be experts in the Criminal Law...otherwise, my services would be of little value (nevermind the jokes that my services are of little value anyway...).

That said, people wanting to make statements of the law so authoritatively ought to do a little research on the subject first.

In Canada, there are two ways for a person to obtain a true pardon (as opposed to a National Parole Board pardon of your criminal record):

1. The Queen Herself exercises her Royal Prerogative of Mercy...and simply excuses you from your crime and any associated punishment; or

2. The Governor in Counsel (i.e. Prime Minister with the advice of cabinet) grants a "free pardon" or a "conditional pardon" pursuant to s. 748(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Section 748(3) of the Criminal Code says that the effect of a free pardon is "that person shall be deemed thereafter never to have committed the offence in respect of which the pardon is granted."

The Latimer case is a perfect example of why this power is given to the PM. Imagine that subsequent to his conviction, the Parliament debates and passes into law an Act which would have excused Latimer's conduct and made it legal. The only proper thing to do would be to give him a free pardon at that point...otherwise he would always remain a convicted murderer serving a life sentence (even if parolled).

In my view, the only hope for Latimer to get a free pardon would be this scenario...and no PM, Conservative or otherwise, will bring on the heat that would come from using this power in this case unless public concensus has already brought about a law legalizing euthanasia in the manner in which it was done by Latimer (i.e. unilateral decision by a caretaker).

So, lobby your MP and write to the PM...you have at least a theoretical chance of convincing the government of the day to absolve Mr. Latimer and send him home. Otherwise, get somebody who has power and influence to take your plea for mercy for Mr. Latimer before the Queen. In either case, I think you have a very long uphill battle.

FTA

[Wilber]

Depressing.

While I doubt it will happen we have a scenario where in ten years Willy Picton could be walking around on day parole while Latimer is still in jail because he won't say the right words.

[jdobbin]

Latimer paroled in reversal by Parole Board.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national...dc-01a513a4d8ee

Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer jailed for the 1993 mercy killing of his severely disabled daughter Tracy, is being released on day parole after seven years' imprisonment in a surprise reversal.

Latimer will be released from jail as soon as a bed can be found for him in a halfway house, but it could take several weeks.

In an unexpected decision released Wednesday, the Appeal Division of the National Parole Board reversed a December ruling by the Pacific regional office of the board denying Latimer day parole.

Dave Clouston, deputy warden at Vancouver Island's William Head prison, said Latimer's parole officer personally delivered a copy of the decision to Latimer.

Clouston would not say what happened in that meeting, but did say Latimer appeared pleased.

"I can say I was talking to him and he seemed to be pretty happy about the decision," Clouston said just minutes after speaking with Latimer.

He added that Latimer declined all requests to speak with the media.

Expect huge controversy on Thursday.

[Guest American Woman]

I just read that news myself in the National Post, and was so happy to hear it. Stockwell Day and the Parole Board made the right/humane decision, so I give them a lot of credit for their decision. Such good news!

[White Doors]

Yep, good news. I don't agree with what he did, but he has alot of empathy from me.

Clearly he did not need to be in Jail any longer.

He already served too much time.