Close X
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Judge Denies Bail To Guido Amsel, Winnipeg Man Accused Of Sending Letter Bombs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Sep, 2015 03:58 PM
    WINNIPEG — A man accused of sending letter bombs to his ex-wife and two lawyers was denied bail Wednesday, but he plans to appeal.
     
    Guido Amsel was ordered by provincial court Judge Heather Pullan to remain in custody pending his trial on charges that include three counts of attempted murder. The decision followed three days of evidence which cannot be reported due to a publication ban.
     
    Amsel's lawyer, Martin Glazer, said outside a Winnipeg courtroom that his client will appeal the bail ruling.
     
    "Obviously, he's not happy with the decision. He was hoping to get out today and go back to his family and to his work and, so, this is just Round 1. Round 2 is coming up. Stay tuned."
     
    Amsel, 49, was arrested in early July after bombs were sent to his former wife's workplace and the offices of lawyers who had represented Amsel and his wife in their divorce. Police said that in each case an explosive compound was inserted into a recording device.
     
    Two bombs were safely disposed of, but one exploded and severely injured lawyer Maria Mitousis. She lost a hand and suffered other injuries which will require long-term rehabilitation.
     
    Glazer has said his client did not commit the crime and should not have to sit in jail until a trial that could be two years away.
     
    "A case like this is sort of complicated and it takes time."
     
    Court documents show Guido Amsel and his ex-wife, Iris, went through a lengthy and bitter divorce in which Amsel accused her of stealing millions of dollars from an auto-body shop they jointly owned.
     
    Amsel has since remarried.
     
    The acrimony appeared to end in March of this year. A memorandum from a pre-trial conference says Amsel agreed that he owed his former wife $40,000 from the auto-body shop and promised to sell vehicles and equipment to get the money. 
     
    An auction was scheduled for July 11, eight days after the bomb exploded in Mitousis' office. The sale was postponed after the blast when the police investigation was launched.
     
    Mitousis is well-known in Winnipeg's legal community and Glazer said one challenge for upcoming legal proceedings is finding a judge who does not know her or the other alleged victims.
     
    "Even at the trial, we may need an out-of-province judge to hear the matter."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Amid Swooning Markets, Leaders Battle Over Who's Best Suited To Manage Economy

    Amid Swooning Markets, Leaders Battle Over Who's Best Suited To Manage Economy
    Stephen Harper was asked about the previous day's phone conversation with the governor of the Bank of Canada, which was publicized by the Prime Minister's Office on a day of widespread market anxiety.

    Amid Swooning Markets, Leaders Battle Over Who's Best Suited To Manage Economy

    Four Brits Among Six Victims In Quebec Plane Crash

    Britain's Foreign Office says four Britons were among six people killed when a sightseeing seaplane crashed in a remote area of Quebec's North Shore on Sunday.

    Four Brits Among Six Victims In Quebec Plane Crash

    Windsor Housekeeper Finds And Returns Guest's Purse With US $4,700

    Windsor Housekeeper Finds And Returns Guest's Purse With US $4,700
    A Windsor, Ont., housekeeper said she expected the usual haul of linens and towels when she began cleaning a room at a Days Inn hotel — not a bag filled with US$4,700 in cash.

    Windsor Housekeeper Finds And Returns Guest's Purse With US $4,700

    Used-Cat Salesman Helps Calgary Humane Society Adopt Out Felines

    Used-Cat Salesman Helps Calgary Humane Society Adopt Out Felines
     It's as cheesy as can be and features a moustachioed used-cat salesman trying to adopt out an abundance of cats at the Calgary Humane Society.

    Used-Cat Salesman Helps Calgary Humane Society Adopt Out Felines

    PQ Leader Suggests Sharing Of Federal Assets If Quebec Becomes Independent

    Parti Quebecois Leader Pierre Karl Peladeau says an independent Quebec would seek to recover its share of federal assets such as CF-18 fighter-bombers.

    PQ Leader Suggests Sharing Of Federal Assets If Quebec Becomes Independent

    Drop In Commodities Brings Deeper Economic Pain For Some Provinces

    Drop In Commodities Brings Deeper Economic Pain For Some Provinces
    CALGARY — Commodity prices are tanking and they're bringing Canadian markets down with them, but experts say some provinces will be feeling the pinch more than others.

    Drop In Commodities Brings Deeper Economic Pain For Some Provinces