No charges to be pressed in violent killing of Indo-Canadian activist
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Apr, 2023 10:24 AM
Toronto, April 4 (IANS) Crown prosecutors in Canada's British Columbia province have decided not to press any charges in the violent killing of Indo-Canadian activist and filmmaker Manbir Mani Amar in 2022, media reports said.
Amar, a 40 year-old father of three, was fatally injured on August 31, 2022 during a physical altercation between two neighbours, leading to the arrest of one person.
British Columbia (BC) Prosecution spokesperson Dan McLaughlin told Global News that the case didn't meet the standard for charge assessment according to the Crown.
"The BC prosecution Service can confirm that, after carefully reviewing all the investigative materials submitted by IHIT (Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) investigators, no charges were approved in the case," McLaughlin said.
When conducting charge assessment, prosecutors must weigh both whether the case has a substantial likelihood of conviction and whether it is in the public interest, he said.
"In determining whether this test is satisfied, Crown Counsel must consider what material evidence is likely to be admissible and available at a trial; the objective reliability of the admissible evidence; and whether there are viable defences, or other legal or constitutional impediments to the prosecution, that remove any substantial likelihood of a conviction," McLaughlin told Global News.
He, however, did not say what exactly did not meet the prosecution service's standards to proceed in Amar's case.
"This was an isolated incident between two neighbours, tragically this situation escalated to a point where a life was taken," Sergeant Timothy Pierotti of IHIT had said after the incident.
Amar had produced documentaries and short films focusing on guns and gangs in Vancouver. His 2009 award-winning documentary, "A Warrior's Religion" provided an insight into the gang life in Vancouver's South Asian communities.
The IMDB describes his feature film "Footsteps Into Gangland", as "an adaptation of true events that shattered Metro Vancouver's South Asian community".
Raj Grewal's lawyer argues that prosecutors have not presented enough evidence to find him guilty of the two breach of trust charges, and the Crown has failed to establish essential elements required for such a finding.
Premier David Eby says economists are predicating a "global slowdown and potentially recession" and his government is focused on keeping the economy strong by building trade relationships and supporting businesses.
Association chief economist Brendon Ogmundson blames expected sluggish sales this year on a slowing economy and ongoing, elevated mortgage rates. The forecast predicts residential sales in B-C will skid 7.1 per cent this year before surging nearly 24 per cent in 2024.
The survivor has life-threatening injuries, but police say the public is not believed to be at risk. IHIT is trying to determine if the tripped alarm and triggered sprinklers could be linked to the case.
IHIT investigators have identified the victim as a 17-year old man, who lived in the complex in which the shooting took place. At approximately 9:15 a.m. a White Nissan Rogue was reported to have been set on fire in the area of 173 Street and 101 Avenue in Surrey.
On Wednesday, Surrey RCMP received a report that a man was masturbating in the pathway behind a townhouse complex located in the 6400-block of 168 Street. The man jumped a fence entering the backyard of one of the units, and then used a flashlight to capture the attention of the residents before shining the light on his exposed genitalia.
