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“When I was in, on the stand or statements that I wrote, I guess that there was some stuff that was, was false”

After police gave him $17,550, Paul Smith became the main Crown witness in Randy Riley's 2018 murder trial. Riley was convicted. But last year, Smith came forward to say he had lied on the stand, and that his testimony against Riley was false. Moreover, it appears the Crown knew Smith lied on the stand, and did nothing about it. Now, Smith has disappeared.

November 8, 2020 By Tim Bousquet 2 Comments

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ordered a new trial for Randy Riley, the man convicted in 2018 for the 2010 murder of Chad Smith, a pizza delivery driver. The Supreme Court came in response to an application from Riley’s lawyer concerning something called a Vetrovec warning. A Vetrovec warning is a warning given […]

Filed Under: Featured, News Tagged With: Brian Church, Bruce Pitt-Payne, Chad Smith, Const. Steve Fairbairn, Ian Hutchison, Justice Cindy Bourgeois, Justice Duncan Beveridge, Justice Edward Scanlan, Justice James Chipman, Justice Patrick Duncan, Kaitlin Fuller, Lee Seshagiri, Melanie Perry, Nathan Johnson, Pat Atherton, Patrick MacEwen, Paul Smith, Randy Riley trial, RCMP Constable Benedict Chen, RCMP Inspector Martin Marin, Roger Burrill, Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), Trevor McGuigan, Vetrovec warning, wrongful convictions

Electronic Frontier Foundation recognizes the Nova Scotia government and Halifax police for their role in tech transparency

Morning File, Monday, March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 14 Comments

1. SNC-Lavalin “There is an unanswered, barely whispered question at the heart-attack centre of the SNC-Lavalin scandal now dumping buckets of freezing rain on Justin Trudeau’s sunny ways/sunny days parade,” writes Stephen Kimber: And that question is this: what would Andrew Scheer or Jagmeet Singh have done differently? Click here to read “What would Andrew […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Andrew Scheer, Atlantic Mining, Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, Backstory NS, Bailey Roy, Damien Roy, daylight savings, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Glen Assoun, Greg MacVicar, Jagmeet Singh, Jean Laroche, Justice Cindy Bourgeois, Justice Linda Lee Oland, Justice Peter Bryson, Mary Campbell, Mining Association of Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, province's information security screw-up, Sandy Garossino, Sean Kirby, Shane Fowler, SNC-Lavalin, time change, Utility and Review Board (UARB), Wayne Oakley

Court of Appeal hears taxi driver sex assault case

"A drunk can consent," ruled judge Greg Lenehan in lower court decision dismissing charges against Bassam  Al-Rawi.

November 23, 2017 By Jennifer Henderson

“A reluctant acquittal.” That’s how defence lawyer Luke Craggs characterized a decision by Nova Scotia judge Greg Lenehan last March, when Lenehan found taxi driver Bassam Al-Rawi not guilty of sexually assaulting an intoxicated 26-year-old female passenger. Craggs noted that in his written decision, Lenehan admitted he “struggled to understand what this evidence proves.” His...

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Subscribers only Tagged With: Avalon Sexual Assault Centre Society, Bassam Al-Rawi, Bassam Al-Rawi disturbing facts of case, Jennifer Henderson, Jennifer MacLellan, Judge Gregory Lenehan, Justice Cindy Bourgeois, Justice Duncan Beveridge, Justice Jamie Saunders, Kelly McMillan, Luke Craggs

Man with history of domestic assault awarded custody of five-year-old boy

Justice Lawrence O'Neil has had a long and controversial career, first as an MP railing against women's right to abortion, then as a judge overly protective of the rights of fathers. Now, the Associate Chief Justice has awarded custody of a small child to a father with a history of domestic assault, downplayed another allegation of domestic assault against the father, implied that the mother was lying, and accused the police of misleading the court.

November 3, 2017 By Tim Bousquet 4 Comments

In August, Lawrence O’Neil, the Associate Chief Justice of the Family Court, awarded custody of a five-year-old boy to the child’s father, who has a history of domestic violence, even though the father had previously signed away his right to custody. A troubled relationship The names of the parents and child in this story are […]

Filed Under: Featured, Investigation, News, Province House Tagged With: Constable Ian Nielsen, Constable Mandru, Halifax Regional Police, Justice Cindy Bourgeois, Justice Lawrence O'Neil, Justice Sers, Legal Aid lawyer Linda Tippett Leary, Lieutenant Benoit Vigneault, Man with history of domestic assault awarded custody, Melissa Grant, witness protection program

The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Mo Kenney. Photo: Matt Williams

Episode #18 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne is published.

Mo Kenney’s new record Covers is a perfect winter companion — songs from across the rock spectrum that she’s pared down to piano or guitar and turned them into sad ballads. She joins Tara to talk about choosing and arranging them, and opens up for a frank discussion of the alcohol dependency it took a pandemic for her to confront. Plus: Movies are back (again).

This episode is available today only for premium subscribers; to become a premium subscriber, click here, and join the select group of arts and entertainment supporters for just $5/month. Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow to listen to it.

Please subscribe to The Tideline.

Uncover: Dead Wrong

In 1995, Brenda Way was brutally murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building. In 1999, Glen Assoun was found guilty of the murder. He served 17 years in prison, but steadfastly maintained his innocence. In 2019, Glen Assoun was fully exonerated.

Halifax Examiner founder and investigative journalist Tim Bousquet has followed the story of Glen Assoun's wrongful conviction for over five years. Now, Bousquet tells that story as host of Season 7 of the CBC podcast series Uncover: Dead Wrong.

Click here to go to listen to the podcast, or search for CBC Uncover on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast aggregator.

About the Halifax Examiner

Examiner folk The Halifax Examiner was founded by investigative reporter Tim Bousquet, and now includes a growing collection of writers, contributors, and staff. Left to right: Joan Baxter, Stephen Kimber, Linda Pannozzo, Erica Butler, Jennifer Henderson, Iris the Amazing, Tim Bousquet, Evelyn C. White, El Jones, Philip Moscovitch More about the Examiner.

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