Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Newfoundland Judge Rules Sexist Slur Against Reporter Was Not A Public Disturbance

The Canadian Press, 20 Feb, 2018 12:10 PM
  • Newfoundland Judge Rules Sexist Slur Against Reporter Was Not A Public Disturbance
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A judge has ruled a notorious sexist slur aimed at a reporter in St. John's, N.L., was vulgar and offensive but wasn't a crime under the circumstances.
 
Provincial court Judge Colin Flynn dismissed the single charge against 28-year-old Justin Penton of causing a public disturbance.
 
Penton acknowledged he yelled a phrase commonly abbreviated to FHITP at NTV reporter Heather Gillis last April as she taped an interview outside the St. John's dump.
 
But Flynn ruled the incident — part of a phenomenon that has plagued journalists in the United States and Canada since 2015 — did not meet legal precedents for interfering with the public peace.
 
He says something more than emotional upset and a briefly interrupted conversation would be required to constitute a criminal offence.
 
Gillis says she understands the judge has to work within the law but is disappointed in the ruling.

MORE National ARTICLES

Florida School Shooting: Vancouver Artist Pia Guerra Draws Beautiful Tribute To Aaron Feis

Florida School Shooting: Vancouver Artist Pia Guerra Draws Beautiful Tribute To Aaron Feis
A Vancouver illustrator said she's overwhelmed by the social media response to her cartoon depicting a victim of the recent school shooting in Florida.

Florida School Shooting: Vancouver Artist Pia Guerra Draws Beautiful Tribute To Aaron Feis

Canadian Families Finding Small Living Creates Closeness, Creative Kids

Canadian Families Finding Small Living Creates Closeness, Creative Kids
Adrian Crook hadn't always intended on raising his five kids in a three-bedroom condo in downtown Vancouver.

Canadian Families Finding Small Living Creates Closeness, Creative Kids

Landslide Lake Offers Breath-Taking Views On Vancouver Island Hike

Landslide Lake Offers Breath-Taking Views On Vancouver Island Hike
Cradled below towering mountains at the centre of Vancouver Island is a lake whose name tells the landscape's history. Landslide Lake caught the face of one the Island's tallest mountains when a magnitude-7.3 earthquake shook it loose in 1946.

Landslide Lake Offers Breath-Taking Views On Vancouver Island Hike

New Home, Vehicles Damaged In Targeted Port Coquitlam Shooting

New Home, Vehicles Damaged In Targeted Port Coquitlam Shooting
Coquitlam RCMP is making progress in the investigation into a shooting at 8:30 p.m. last night (February 18, 2018) at a Port Coquitlam home.

New Home, Vehicles Damaged In Targeted Port Coquitlam Shooting

Harjit Sajjan Asks Justin Trudeau To Meet Punjab CM Who Accused Canada Of Sikh Separatist Sympathies

Harjit Sajjan Asks Justin Trudeau To Meet Punjab CM Who Accused Canada Of Sikh Separatist Sympathies
At the request of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan — who was snubbed by Singh when Sajjan visited India last April — Canada's high commissioner was dispatched to set up a meeting with Singh, Trudeau and Sajjan later this week.

Harjit Sajjan Asks Justin Trudeau To Meet Punjab CM Who Accused Canada Of Sikh Separatist Sympathies

PICS: Justin Trudeau Visits India's Famed Taj Mahal With Family In Tow

PICS: Justin Trudeau Visits India's Famed Taj Mahal With Family In Tow
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began the first full day of his week-long trip to India by taking a tour of the famed Taj Mahal, followed by a visit to an elephant rescue sanctuary north of Agra.

PICS: Justin Trudeau Visits India's Famed Taj Mahal With Family In Tow