Law Times

Page 16 January 14, 2013 • Law Times u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James CAT LOADED WITH ESCAPE TOOLS FOR JAIL VISIT ARAPIRACA, Brazil — A cat arriving at prison with escape tools will be a tough witness to get information out of as police investigate who organized the attempt at getting out of jail. According to Reuters, authorities detained a cat carrying a saw and a mobile phone as it entered a prison gate in northeast Brazil. Prison guards were surprised when they saw a white cat crossing the main gate of the prison, its body wrapped with tape. A closer look showed the feline also carried drills, an earphone, a memory card, batteries, and a phone charger. According to Reuters, all 263 detainees in the prison of Arapiraca, a city of 215,000 people in the state of Alagoas, are suspects in the plot. "It's tough to find out who's responsible for the action as the cat doesn't speak," a prison spokesperson told local paper Estado de S.Paulo. nature of their makeup and only suspected to be homosexuals, which is against Cameroon law. That is why we appealed." According to Reuters, the same appeal court recently upheld the three-year jail term for 32-year-old Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, found guilty of homosexual conduct because he sent a text message to another man saying: "I'm very much in love with you." Nkom, who also defended Mbede, said she hoped the supreme court would overturn that ruling. "A man cannot be found guilty of practicing homosexuality simply because he sent a message to another man to say he loves him. At least two persons of same sex must be caught doing the act before they are arrested and convicted." Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries. In Cameroon, the penalties range from six months to five years in jail. In 2011, there were 12 convictions. LOOKING GAY NOT A CRIME YAOUNDE, Cameroon — The law in Cameroon may outlaw homosexuality, but the courts can't jail you simply for looking gay. That appears to be the implication after a Cameroon appeal court overturned the convictions of two men found guilty of homosexuality and sentenced to five years in jail for crossdressing and wearing makeup. Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon, but recent incidents have highlighted growing tension between a largely conservative society and a younger generation less concerned by the issue. According to Reuters, the two men were convicted in November 2011 and had already spent more than a year in prison. Their lawyer, Alice Nkom, who also campaigns for gay rights, said the court's decision had been expected. "Their conviction was against the law because they were not actually seen or caught doing anything at the time the police arrested them," she said. "They were arrested because they were just seen wearing women's clothes and because of the TABLE LEG USED TO GET OUT OF PRISON COLMAR, France — You know you have an infrastructure deficit when inmates succeed in a using a table leg to get out of jail. According to Reuters, three prisoners used a table leg to pierce a hole in the roof of their cell in a 14th-century French penitentiary and escape in the early hours of New Year's Day. The three climbed onto the roof of the Colmar prison in eastern France and from there entered an adjoining courthouse where they fled through a side door, Reuters reported. The escape highlighted overcrowding and the advanced state of disrepair of an institution originally built in 1316 as a convent, according to prosecutor Bernard Lebeau. "It appears that the ceilings in the cells are made of a crumbly material that was attacked with a makeshift tool made of objects from the cell itself, notably a table leg," he told journalists in Colmar. The prisoners, aged 19 to 24, were in jail on charges of assault and vandalism, Reuters reported. LT "Yeah, sure, we're still here. On the other hand, we just scored big time in the underperforming sacrificial pyramid temple market." HICKS MORLEY LANDS THREE HEENAN BLAIKIE PARTNERS Three labour and employment lawyers have left Heenan Blaikie LLP for Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. The three new partners at Hicks Morley are Henry Dinsdale, Jeffrey Goodman, and Michael Smyth. They all work from the firm's Toronto office. "This is an exciting new development for the firm," said Hicks Morley managing partner Stephen Shamie. Henry Dinsdale "The addition of our three new partners reinforces Hicks Morley's long-standing commitment to provide firm clients with unparalleled depth and experience in the areas of law in which we practise. Henry, Jeffrey, and Michael are leading practitioners in the field of labour and employment law and will be a great addition to our already terrific team of professionals." A lawyer since 1989, Dinsdale works with federally and provincially regulated employers to provide advice on matters such as collective bargaining and employee terminations. Goodman, a lawyer since 1990, focuses on representing corporations and insurers in employment litigation, class actions, and human rights, labour, and occupational health and safety matters. Smyth advises federally and provincially regulated employers on grievances, arbitrations, discipline, terminations, human rights, certification applications, restructuring, collective bargaining, and employment contracts. He has been a lawyer since 1992. PATRIOTIC LAWYER PLANNING GIANT FLAG A patriotic Windsor, Ont., lawyer wants to erect a massive Canadian flag on the city's waterfront. According to CBC News, Peter Hrastovec wants to erect a 45-metre "beacon" visible on both sides of the border. "It's going to be something like a beacon, that you can see from a long distance, not just across the border to our friends to the north of us, as we say, but up and along the riverfront," Hrastovec told CBC News. According to CBC News, Hrastovec is seeking private donations for a project he estimates will cost $250,000. NEW PARTNER AT DICKINSON WRIGHT Dickinson Wright LLP has a new partner at its Toronto office. Axel Kindbom, chairman of the firm's professional development committee in Toronto, became a partner effective Jan. 1. He practises corporate/ commercial law and acts for public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, distressed investments and restructurings, venture capital finance, government funding, and private equity. QUEBEC JUDGES BARRED FROM NEW CASES Quebec courts have barred two judges from new cases in light of an ongoing police investigation. After days of media reports that two judges were the object of an ongoing investigation by the Surêté du Québec, the Court of Quebec issued a terse fourparagraph statement on Jan. 7 saying it's now looking into the conduct of one of the two magistrates: Rouyn-Noranda provincial court Judge Marc Grimard. "For the time being, no new files will be assigned to Judge Grimard," the court said in a statement. The Canadian Judicial Council issued a statement the following day. It said it would be reviewing the conduct of the other judge named in the case, Quebec Superior Court Justice Michel Girouard. "The review concerns his conduct prior to his appointment to the bench and includes an allegation that the judge would have participated in a transaction to purchase an illicit substance from a police informant," reads the CJC statement. The allegations stem from a 2010 police bust of a drug trafficking ring in Quebec's rugged Abitibi region. A police informant has accused both men of being regular customers for cocaine. LT Get more online lawtimesnews.com • canadianlawyermag.com Fresh Canadian legal news and analysis every day Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse | Legal Feeds www.lawtimesnews.com Visit Us Online 1-8-5X.indd 1 2/28/11 2:37:34 PM

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