BESTSELLER A CHILDREN’S BOOK ADULTS WILL LOVE READING {page 10} LEMON PASTA INFUSED WITH HERBS RIGHT OUT OF THE GARDEN {page 11}
LOHAN FACING A TOUGH
COMEBACK AFTER HOUSE ARREST
{page 9}
WINNIPEG
Monday, August 8, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Man dodges bid for being a dangerous offender
Lotus. Dance
John Melville Steele robbed a pharmacy in March 2010, was convicted in May 2011
Jing Wen Hu performs the traditional lotus dance at the 2011 Chinatown Cultural Festival yesterday. The 13-year-old is a member of the Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts school. JAMES TURNER/METRO
Performing at the Chinatown Cultural Festival
A Manitoba judge has quashed a bid by prosecutors to see a convicted robber jailed without knowing when he would ever get out. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey has ruled John Melville Steele’s heist at a Portage Avenue pharmacy can’t be considered a “serious personal injury offence” under the Criminal Code. Therefore, prosecutors can’t initiate the process to have Melville designated a dangerous offender, despite the Crown’s wishes to do so, said McKelvey. Criminals designated as dangerous offenders can be held behind bars for indeterminate periods of time. One young female clerk testified a masked Melville said something along the lines of, “Give me the money. It’s a robbery. I have a
gun,” said McKelvey in a decision released Aug. 5. A weapon was never seen, there was no assault and there were no injuries. However, the Crown said Melville’s actions in the store “were intended to terrify” the store clerks, who testified they were fearful and shocked. But they did not need counselling or time off work, the judge noted. Defence lawyer David Soper argued while the staffers certainly had an “unpleasant experience,” it’s expected robbery victims will be scared, nervous and shocked. McKelvey agreed and added she didn’t feel the implied threat of violence in the case was enough to let the Crown’s dangerousoffender application go ahead. Steele is still awaiting sentencing. JAMES TURNER