OTTAWA – A panel of nine Supreme Court judges has reserved its decision on granting a new trial to Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer, the man convicted of murder in the 11994 mercy killing of his 12-year-old handicapped daughter, Tracy.
Latimer’s defence team has asked for acquittal in the case, arguing that the police and the Crown attorney’s office violated Latimer’s constitutional rights during the investigation.
During the course of the hearings, the Saskatchewan Voice of People with Disabilities organized a special memorial service for Latimer’s daughter.
The memorial was designed to promote respect for all human life.
Meanwhile, a Smiths Falls, Ontario court is determining the fate of Ottawa-area woman Brenda Drummond who was charged last summer in the pellet rifle wounding of her unborn child.
The Ontario Court’s Provincial Division was scheduled to rule December 23 whether attempted murder charges against Drummond will be upheld.
Lawyers for Drummond argued that since the unborn are not recognized as persons by the Canadian Criminal Code, then no crime took place. The unborn are not considered persons until they pass completely from the mother’s womb. The case has implications for the legal protection of the unborn.
