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Lawyers oppose release of murder conviction assessment in Nova Scotia case

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Oct, 2014 10:31 AM

HALIFAX - The lawyer for a Nova Scotia man whose murder conviction is being reviewed by Ottawa argued in court today against a media application for the release of a preliminary assessment of the case.

Glen Eugene Assoun was sentenced to life in 1999 for stabbing his former girlfriend, but he has always maintained his innocence.

The federal Justice Department says a recently completed preliminary assessment shows there may have been a miscarriage of justice in the case and federal lawyers will conduct an in-depth investigation.

Philip Campbell, Assoun's lawyer, and Patricia MacPhee, a federal Justice Department lawyer, told a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge the material was preliminary and is protected under federal privacy law and should remain sealed.

Campbell said he hopes to use the preliminary assessment in a bail hearing next month for Assoun with the understanding there would be a publication ban on its contents.

Media lawyer Alan Parish, representing the CBC, says an edited version of the preliminary assessment could be made public.

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