Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Justice system sees killer as another ‘victim’
I just read a column un the Vancouver Sun by Fiona Flanagan on the subject “Victim hood”-how it has permeated our society to the point that responsibility and accountability particularly in our justice system, has very little meaning any more.
I then read an article in the Abbotsford News, which I consider to be a classic example of what Flanagan was referring to.
Court of Appeals judge Jo-Ann Prows granted Sonny Toor; a convicted murder accomplice, bail and gave the following reasons for doing so: That releasing Toor would not harm the public interest as his murder participation was “spontaneous” and his grounds for appeal are not frivolous. That there is no indication that Toor was otherwise prone to violence.
According to the learned judge, Toor didn’t play a very important role in the murder.
Why heck, he just drove the car to the scene of the murder, waited and then drove the triggerman away and helped him dispose of the weapon. Does that sound spontaneous to you?
The judge seems to be suggesting that Toor is really not that bad. And in other words, he is just a “victim” of circumstance. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got talked into doing something he normally wouldn’t do.
Therefore, a second-degree murder charge was just too harsh in Judge Prows’ reasoning. Accountability and responsibility aren’t even a consideration.
What is also missing in this report is our justice system’s responsibility and accountability to the true victims of this horrendous crime.
This judge seems to be genuinely concerned with the severity of the sentence to Toor while saying nothing at all about the suffering and pain of the family of the true victim.
Maybe Toor didn’t pull the trigger, but he willingly and ably assisted, which makes him just as guilty.
I very much disagree with the judge’s assertion that his grounds for appeal was not frivolous. This man was mixed up to his neck in the murder plot and, in fact, got off lightly with a second-degree murder charge.
In our convoluted system of justice, there is little evident concern for those who have a crime committed against them, but a great deal of concern over absolute fairness to those who commit crimes.
By: Al C. Johnson
Abbotsford
The murdered victim these people are referring to is my sister. At least i think the justice system sees her as a victim.
Im not sure anymore!
[This message has been edited by Bill Kondolay (edited 03-09-2001). ]
I just read a column un the Vancouver Sun by Fiona Flanagan on the subject “Victim hood”-how it has permeated our society to the point that responsibility and accountability particularly in our justice system, has very little meaning any more.
I then read an article in the Abbotsford News, which I consider to be a classic example of what Flanagan was referring to.
Court of Appeals judge Jo-Ann Prows granted Sonny Toor; a convicted murder accomplice, bail and gave the following reasons for doing so: That releasing Toor would not harm the public interest as his murder participation was “spontaneous” and his grounds for appeal are not frivolous. That there is no indication that Toor was otherwise prone to violence.
According to the learned judge, Toor didn’t play a very important role in the murder.
Why heck, he just drove the car to the scene of the murder, waited and then drove the triggerman away and helped him dispose of the weapon. Does that sound spontaneous to you?
The judge seems to be suggesting that Toor is really not that bad. And in other words, he is just a “victim” of circumstance. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got talked into doing something he normally wouldn’t do.
Therefore, a second-degree murder charge was just too harsh in Judge Prows’ reasoning. Accountability and responsibility aren’t even a consideration.
What is also missing in this report is our justice system’s responsibility and accountability to the true victims of this horrendous crime.
This judge seems to be genuinely concerned with the severity of the sentence to Toor while saying nothing at all about the suffering and pain of the family of the true victim.
Maybe Toor didn’t pull the trigger, but he willingly and ably assisted, which makes him just as guilty.
I very much disagree with the judge’s assertion that his grounds for appeal was not frivolous. This man was mixed up to his neck in the murder plot and, in fact, got off lightly with a second-degree murder charge.
In our convoluted system of justice, there is little evident concern for those who have a crime committed against them, but a great deal of concern over absolute fairness to those who commit crimes.
By: Al C. Johnson
Abbotsford
The murdered victim these people are referring to is my sister. At least i think the justice system sees her as a victim.
Im not sure anymore!
[This message has been edited by Bill Kondolay (edited 03-09-2001). ]
