Law Times

Page 16 May 6, 2013 Law Times • u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James THIEF SHOWS SOFT SIDE, RETURNS ASHES TACOMA, Wash. — Even thieves have hearts, a recent case shows. According to Reuters, a thief with a soft-hearted streak who inadvertently nabbed some cremated remains along with thousands of rare gems in a truck burglary in Washington state has anonymously mailed back the ashes to their owner. The truck owner had been golfing in a Tacoma suburb when a thief broke into his vehicle. The thief stole a briefcase filled with 3,000 prized Oregon sunstone gemstones, more than 30 silver and gold sunstone rings, and a bracelet with 34 multihued stones, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. Also taken was a suitcase containing the cremated remains of the truck owner's son, he said. Days later, the thief anonymously mailed back the ashes to an address on the owner's business card. MOM JAILED FOR FORCED INSEMINATION LONDON, England — Just in time for Mother's Day comes the disturbing story of a mother who persuaded her adopted teenage daughter to become pregnant by artificial insemination because she wanted a baby for herself. Previously secret court documents showed that the daughter, a virgin, was made to inseminate herself alone in her bedroom seven times over a two-year period starting in 2008 when she was 14. She used syringes of semen bought online by the mother from sperm bank Cryos in Denmark, Reuters reported. She eventually became pregnant at 16 and gave birth at 17. The extraordinary circumstances of her pregnancy came to light after midwives became suspicious of the mother because she was trying to prevent her daughter from bonding with the new baby. In a ruling made in March 2012 but only published now after the conclusion of the mother's criminal trial, High Court Judge Peter Jackson described "an abiding sense of disbelief that a parent could behave in such a wicked and selfish way towards a vulnerable child." The judge also raised questions about the international trade in donor sperm, noting that "there were no effective checks on a person's ability to obtain sperm from Cryos." There's no law in Britain to stop someone from buying donor sperm on the Internet and using it at home without supervision. The mother, who received a five-year sentence, had three adopted daughters but desperately wanted a fourth and was upset when authorities told her in 2007 that she wouldn't receive approval for a further adoption. Instead, she persuaded the eldest of her three daughters to embark on a program of artificial insemination to provide her with a baby to raise as her own. WEALTHY COUNTY ACCIDENTALLY DEFAULTS NEW YORK — It's the playground of the rich and famous, but Suffolk County, home of the Hamptons, has landed itself in financial trouble after accidentally missing a $722 debt payment. According to Reuters, a regulatory filing on behalf of the county dated April 16 shows it accidentally missed an interest payment on some of its debt, including $76.1 million of public improvement bonds, putting the county technically in default. The county is wealthy with income per capita well above the national average but it has run into difficulty recently. The error is more of an embarrassing glitch than anything else. The missed payment — just $722.65 — would be small change for many of the county's residents. The Depository Trust Company, a clearing firm, pointed out the mistake and the filing says the error was the fault of the county's escrow agent, M&T Bank. "The county informed M&T of its error and the escrow agent immediately wired the $722.65 payment to DTC," the regulatory filing said. LT "Good Lord, Fawcett! We may have discovered the long-lost civilization of Amalgamated Financial Services and Brokerage Risk Assessment Corp.!" POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. According to the poll, respondents have differing opinions on whether the government should devote more money for courts and judges in northern Ontario in light of a recent Law Times story revealing concerns raised by Janet Whitehead, chairwoman of the County and District Law Presidents' Association, about the state of Janet Whitehead the justice system there. While 46 per cent of survey participants agree with the idea of providing more funds for the north, they also felt there are other pressing issues across the province that require attention. Thirty-nine per cent of participants said the issue is critical and should get immediate attention. The rest, 15 per cent, disagreed with the idea of more funding for the judicial system in northern Ontario as they feel the province doesn't have the money to address to the issue. FAMILY MATTERS DOMINATE CIVIL COURT A new Statistics Canada report shows family law made up the majority of civil court cases between 2011 and 2012. They accounted for 33 per cent of all civil court cases during that time. The majority of family law cases dealt with custody, access, support, and child protection, according to last week's report. One in four child-related cases involved child protection issues. The results come from data collected from eight Canadian provinces and territories. In 2011-12, 40 per cent of new litigants in child custody cases represented themselves. Applicants were more likely to have representation than defendants, according to the statistics. Personal injury and damages lawsuits were the second most common cases in the civil courts. "Lawsuits for injury or damage and contract disputes were the most common issues in non-family civil court cases," the report stated. OAKVILLE LAWYER DISBARRED A Law Society of Upper Canada hearing panel has disbarred Oakville, Ont., lawyer Michael James Strong after finding him ungovernable. The panel found Strong failed to reply promptly to communications from the law society and co-operate with a law society investigation by not responding to communications from the administrative compliance department and not providing information about the disposition ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT REGISTER BEFORE MAY 10 AND SAVE $300! Toronto, June 12 , 2013 For more information or to register, please contact Lexpert® Events at 1-877-298-5868 or e-mail: register@lexpert.ca www.lawtimesnews.com of his practice. The panel also found he failed to respond to communications from the investigations department and co-operate with an investigation. In addition, it said he failed to reply promptly to communications from the law society's monitoring and enforcement department and provide a report confirming his compliance with the bylaws while under suspension. Besides disbarring him, the panel ordered him to pay costs of $3,000. NICHOLSON SUPPORTS ANTI-GANG BILL Justice Minister Rob Nicolson says he endorses a private member's bill that will make it illegal to recruit individuals to gangs. Bill C-394, sponsored by Brampton-Springdale MP Parm Gill, would create a new offence under the Criminal Code that would make encouraging minors to join criminal organizations a crime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. "The Harper government is committed to keeping our streets and communities safe, which is why we support this private member's bill," said Nicholson. "I applaud my colleague Parm Gill for his determination to protect our youth by disrupting the ability of gangs to recruit new members." Nicholson's comments came the same week Parliament passed another government crime measure to double victim fine surcharges. LT

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