Law and justice

In this courtroom sketch, Aydin Coban is pictured at B.C. Supreme Court, in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday, June 6, 2022. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jane Wolsak

Dutch digital investigator testifies at B.C.’s Amanda Todd harassment trial

Crown witnesses expected to testify accounts allegedly used to extort Todd were operated by Coban

In this courtroom sketch, Aydin Coban is pictured at B.C. Supreme Court, in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday, June 6, 2022. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jane Wolsak
The Alberta Coat of Arms is shown at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. A woman has told an Edmonton murder trial she sought mental health help for her husband several hours before the fatal stabbing of a seven-year-old girl.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Aliens, 5G, preoccupied thoughts of man accused of killing Edmonton girl, 7: Crown

Wife, sister of David Moss testify of mental health concerns prior to death of Bella Rose Desrosiers

The Alberta Coat of Arms is shown at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. A woman has told an Edmonton murder trial she sought mental health help for her husband several hours before the fatal stabbing of a seven-year-old girl.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Carol Todd holds a photograph of her late daughter Amanda Todd signed by U.S. singer Demi Lovato with the words “Stay Strong” in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on Sunday October 5, 2013. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

UPDATE: Amanda Todd shrieked over topless Facebook photo, mother tells sextortion trial

Crown prosecutor alleges ‘persistent campaign’ of online harassment against B.C. teen

Carol Todd holds a photograph of her late daughter Amanda Todd signed by U.S. singer Demi Lovato with the words “Stay Strong” in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on Sunday October 5, 2013. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
MP Rob Anders comments on being defeated by Ron Liepert during the Calgary Signal Hill federal Conservative nomination, in Calgary on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Anders may not find the welcome mat out as he attempts to make the move from a big-city riding where he lost his nomination to a brand new rural one.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

‘Very relieved’: Crown stays tax evasion charges against former Calgary MP Rob Anders

Anders first elected as a Reform MP in 1997 and was a co-founder of the Conservative Party of Canada

MP Rob Anders comments on being defeated by Ron Liepert during the Calgary Signal Hill federal Conservative nomination, in Calgary on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Anders may not find the welcome mat out as he attempts to make the move from a big-city riding where he lost his nomination to a brand new rural one.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sex assault trial at the Toronto courthouse, in Toronto, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Jacob Hoggard trial exposes misconceptions about consent, say experts

Criminal Code requires that consent be affirmatively communicated through a person’s words or conduct

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sex assault trial at the Toronto courthouse, in Toronto, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Actor Amber Heard waits before the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The jury awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. It vindicates his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage. But the jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by a lawyer for Depp.(Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

Depp-Heard trial: Advocates fear case will prevent survivors from speaking up

‘People do not want to give the most intimate details of their personal life then be called a liar’

Actor Amber Heard waits before the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The jury awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. It vindicates his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage. But the jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by a lawyer for Depp.(Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sex assault trial at the Toronto courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Toronto. The Canadian musician, who is currently awaiting a verdict in his sexual assault trial, has been charged in another alleged sexual assault.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard facing new sexual assault charge

Jury deliberations in earlier case against Hoggard have begun, meaning new charge can be made public

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sex assault trial at the Toronto courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Toronto. The Canadian musician, who is currently awaiting a verdict in his sexual assault trial, has been charged in another alleged sexual assault.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Jacob Sansom (left) and his uncle Maurice Cardinal are shown in a handout photo from the Facebook page “Justice for Jake and Morris.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook-Justice for Jake and Morris

Jury finds Alberta men guilty of murder and manslaughter in shooting

Crown argued the accused, Anthony and Roger Bilodeau, took the law into their own hands

Jacob Sansom (left) and his uncle Maurice Cardinal are shown in a handout photo from the Facebook page “Justice for Jake and Morris.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook-Justice for Jake and Morris
Sarah Sansom poses for a portrait at her home in Nobleford, Alta., on Friday, May 29, 2020. Sarah’s husband Jacob (Jake) Sansom and his uncle Morris Cardinal were found shot to death on a rural road in eastern Alberta in March 2020. Anthony Michael Bilodeau, 31, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder over the deaths of Sansom and Cardinal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter

Closing arguments made in case of Alberta father, son accused of murdering hunters

Were suspects defended themselves, or taking the law into their own hands?

Sarah Sansom poses for a portrait at her home in Nobleford, Alta., on Friday, May 29, 2020. Sarah’s husband Jacob (Jake) Sansom and his uncle Morris Cardinal were found shot to death on a rural road in eastern Alberta in March 2020. Anthony Michael Bilodeau, 31, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder over the deaths of Sansom and Cardinal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter
Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns addresses the House of Commons during Question Period on Feb. 3, 2022. Credit: Christian Diotte, House of Commons Photo Services

Pressure mounts for Liberals to back bill decriminalizing drug use

Gord Johns gaining support from mayors and advocates in his bid to address overdose crisis

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns addresses the House of Commons during Question Period on Feb. 3, 2022. Credit: Christian Diotte, House of Commons Photo Services
Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, and Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, middle, release the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces in Ottawa on Monday, May 30, 2022. Also in attendance is Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Review: past time for Canada’s military to scrap harmful traditions, structures

Arbour: some ‘more at risk of harm, on a day-to-day basis, from their comrades than from the enemy’

Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, and Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, middle, release the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces in Ottawa on Monday, May 30, 2022. Also in attendance is Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Defence counsel Megan Savard questions Jacob Hoggard at his sex assault trial in Toronto, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 as his wife Rebekah Asselstine (left) and Justice Gillian Roberts (top left) look on in this artist’s sketch. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould

Crown alleges Jacob Hoggard is ‘sexual opportunist’ who didn’t take no for an answer

Defence says Hedley singer disrespectful towards women, but is not a ‘sadistic serial rapist’

Defence counsel Megan Savard questions Jacob Hoggard at his sex assault trial in Toronto, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 as his wife Rebekah Asselstine (left) and Justice Gillian Roberts (top left) look on in this artist’s sketch. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould
FILE - Prosecutor Shawn Overstreet presents his opening statement at the murder trial of romance writer Nancy Crampton Brophy in Portland, Ore., Monday, April 4, 2022. A jury in Portland, Oregon, has convicted the self-published romance novelist — who once wrote an essay titled "How to Kill Your Husband" — of fatally shooting her husband four years ago. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool)

‘How to Murder Your Husband’ author found guilty of killing her husband

Nancy Crampton Brophy’s attorney says Portland Oregon author plans to appeal

FILE - Prosecutor Shawn Overstreet presents his opening statement at the murder trial of romance writer Nancy Crampton Brophy in Portland, Ore., Monday, April 4, 2022. A jury in Portland, Oregon, has convicted the self-published romance novelist — who once wrote an essay titled "How to Kill Your Husband" — of fatally shooting her husband four years ago. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool)
Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)

At long last, jury gets closing arguments in Depp trial

Johnny Depp’s lawyers asked a jury Friday “to give Mr. Depp his…

Actor Johnny Depp arrives in the courtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022. Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)
Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, arrives back at B.C. Supreme Court after a break from his trial, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Former B.C. legislature clerk to be sentenced July 4 for $1,900 in misspending

Craig James found not guilty on counts related to retirement benefit and purchase of a wood splitter

Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, arrives back at B.C. Supreme Court after a break from his trial, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
“Freedom convoy” organizer Tamara Lich delivers a statement during a news conference in Ottawa, on Feb. 3, 2022. An Ottawa judge is expected to make a decision today on Lich’s bail. Lich and fellow protest organizer Chris Barber are jointly accused of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Judge decides ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizer Tamara Lich stays out on bail

Judge says “taste of jail” has lowered her risk to reoffend

“Freedom convoy” organizer Tamara Lich delivers a statement during a news conference in Ottawa, on Feb. 3, 2022. An Ottawa judge is expected to make a decision today on Lich’s bail. Lich and fellow protest organizer Chris Barber are jointly accused of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, speaks during an announcement regarding the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to protect Canadians from the threat of gun violence during a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Women’s groups warn Liberals against ‘downloading’ gun control to potential victims

Concerns about ‘red flag provision’ raised as government prepares new gun-control legislation

Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, speaks during an announcement regarding the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to protect Canadians from the threat of gun violence during a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Josh Boden arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court for sentencing on two sexual assault convictions in Vancouver, B.C., on July 26, 2012. Boden is scheduled to be sentenced today for the murder of a woman in 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

UPDATED: Former CFL wide receiver’s sentencing rescheduled in B.C. for 2009 murder

Joshua Boden played for the B.C. Lions in 2007 but was released by the team in 2008

Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Josh Boden arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court for sentencing on two sexual assault convictions in Vancouver, B.C., on July 26, 2012. Boden is scheduled to be sentenced today for the murder of a woman in 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, arrives back at B.C. Supreme Court after a break from his trial, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. A special prosecutor says British Columbia’s former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways during closing arguments. James’s defence is expected to present its case Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Former B.C. legislature clerk guilty on one count of fraud, breach of trust

Craig James not guilty of fraud or breach of trust in relation to retirement benefit, woodsplitter

Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, arrives back at B.C. Supreme Court after a break from his trial, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. A special prosecutor says British Columbia’s former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways during closing arguments. James’s defence is expected to present its case Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Coqualeetza Indian Residential School building, circa 1880s. (Photograph courtesy of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives and Chilliwack Progress, P3304)

Justice minister meeting with B.C. Indigenous leaders in Chilliwack as ‘trust-building exercise’

‘It’s important to see the sites,’ Minister David Lametti said of residential school site tour

Coqualeetza Indian Residential School building, circa 1880s. (Photograph courtesy of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives and Chilliwack Progress, P3304)