Law Times

Page 16 May 25, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com QUEEN'S LAW ASSOCIATE DEAN DIES Flags at Queen's University f lew half- mast last week following the death of as- sociate law dean Stanley Corbett. Corbett, the law faculty's longest- serving associate dean, died on May 18, the university announced. The school said the professor's links to Queen's stretches over five decades, beginning with his studies in mathemat- ics before moving to philosophy for his post-graduate degrees. After spending a few years at Acadia University, Corbett went back to Queen's for law school and worked as an adjunct professor in philosophy and law before becoming a full-time member of the faculty of law in 1997, the university said in a statement. Corbett became associate dean of the faculty of law in 2008. He also served as the academic director of the faculty's global law programs at the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle in England where he also taught a course in public international law. GUILTY PLEA IN 'ATOMIC WEDGIE' CASE MCLOUD, Okla. — Who knew underwear could be a deadly weapon? An Oklahoma man has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for asphyxiating his stepfather with the underwear he was wearing in a move police dubbed an "atomic wedgie," court officials said. According to Reuters, Brad Davis, 34, faces between four to 35 years in prison for the death of Denver St. Clair, 58, in December 2013 in McLoud. Davis pulled St. Clair's underwear over his head and around his neck, where the elastic band left ligature marks, police said. The cause of death was blunt-force trauma and asphyxiation, said Oklahoma medical examiner Amy Elliott. The two men had been drinking the night of the incident. They got into a fight when Davis claimed St. Clair began speaking ill about Da- vis' mother, who's St. Clair's wife, Pottawatomie County sheriff deputy Travis Palmer has said. Davis never intended to kill St. Clair, his attor- ney Bob Wyatt told local media. "He was just tired of taking it. He had been bullied all his life by this guy," Wyatt told The Oklahoman newspaper. FUN OVER FOR SEX PARTY CANBERRA, Australia — The fun is over for Australia's Sex Party. The Australian Sex Party, a tiny party known for its salacious name and election-day antics, says authorities have deregistered it after the country's election watchdog ruled it didn't have enough activists. Co-founder Robbie Swan said in a statement that the party would "vigorously" appeal a deci- sion handed down by the Australian Electoral Commission that removed its official status fol- lowing a review of its membership. Under Australian law, a political party must have either an elected representative in the fed- eral parliament or 500 members to keep its reg- istration. According to Reuters, the Sex Party has one lawmaker in the Victoria state legislature but none at the federal level. Swan rejected the commission's finding that it had fallen below the 500-member threshold. "They are gaming the system against minor parties," he said on the group's web site. Following the ruling, the Sex Party will still be able to field candidates but won't be able to put its name on ballot papers or receive federal funding available to registered parties. COP WHO BIT TESTICLES CHARGED BALTIMORE — You'd think police in the Balti- more area have enough to worry about, let alone a case of an officer biting someone's testicles. A Maryland police officer who allegedly bit a man's testicles during an off-duty fight outside a Baltimore bar is facing an assault charge, accord- ing to court documents. Police arrested Anne Arundel County of- ficer Michael Flaig, 31, after the attack. The fight stemmed from an argument that began after Flaig was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward the victim's roommate, Balti- more police said in the charging documents. The victim told Flaig to stop and the two got into an argument. The man left the bar and Flaig attacked him in an alley, police said. He attempt- ed to punch the victim, missed, and fell down. The victim pinned Flaig to the ground, straddling him around the upper body and neck area, police said. Flaig then bit the man's testicles, according to the court documents. Flaig, an officer for 10 years, is now on paid ad- ministrative duties, according to Reuters. "These charges are disturbing and we have an obligation as police officers to conduct ourselves in a professional manner on and off-duty," said Timothy Altomare, Anne Arundel County chief of police. LT The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. Stewart Title does not support programs that reduce or eliminate the lawyer's role in real estate transactions. For more information call (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. Untitled-2 1 7/19/11 12:31:45 PM u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story 'YEAH, YEAH' DOESN'T MEAN NO: COURT When police asked Andre Oui- met if he wanted to speak to counsel after his arrest for sus- pected impaired driving, his re- sponse was, "Yeah, yeah." A lower court judge erred in interpreting that to mean no, according to a recent Superior Court ruling that set aside Oui- met's conviction for refusing to provide a breath sample and or- dered a new trial before a differ- ent judge. The lower court judge had ac- cepted testimony from a police officer that Ouimet was being dismissive when informed of his right to seek legal advice. "Regrettably, there is little in the trial judge's reasons for judgment to animate why he came to the conclusion that the Appellant did not convey 'a de- sire to speak to counsel,'" wrote Superior Court Justice Brian Abrams. "Rather, the trial judge's con- clusion rests on Constable Col- lins mere assumption that the ap- pellant waived his right to coun- sel based on the tone that he used when he said, 'Yeah, yeah.'" Police took no steps to con- firm that Ouimet was waiving his right to counsel, according to Abrams. "Though perhaps not a f lagrant breach, this misconduct amounts to a serious infringe- ment of the Appellant's Char- ter rights," he wrote. "The officer should have known his Charter obligations during this routine impaired driv- ing investigation. The conduct here is in the category of behaviour from which the Court should be concerned to disassociate itself." LAO TO GIVE $100K TO AIDWYIC Legal Aid Ontario has launched a pilot project that will provide the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted with $100,000 in funding over two years for post- conviction legal services and education. "This funding will finance case reviews of questionable con- victions, so that wrongfully con- victed people are identified more quickly and legal proceedings to secure their exonerations can move forward," said LAO chair- man John McCamus. "LAO's core mandate is to provide access to justice. I am delighted with this important next step in supporting access to justice for the wrongfully con- victed," he added. The new LAO funding rec- ognizes the importance of the organization's work on behalf of the wrongfully convicted, said Ron Dalton, a co-president of AIDWYC. "It's a desperate situation to be in prison for a crime you did not commit and to have no one to turn to for help because you have no money," said Dalton. "This pilot project, the first of its kind in Canada, ref lects an inspirational and pioneering ef- fort towards access to justice and we are enormously grateful for their much-needed support," he added. LT "My dad has better Liberal connections than your dads." Stanley Corbett

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