‘I feel free’: Judge acquits 2 Manitoba men convicted in 1973 killing in Winnipeg – Winnipeg | 24CA News
As Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse emerged from the regulation courts in downtown Winnipeg Tuesday afternoon, a crowd erupted in applause.
Only moments earlier than, the 2 have been acquitted of killing Ting Fong Chan, a restaurant employee who was stabbed to demise in 1973 close to a downtown building website.
“Life is good,” Anderson informed reporters on the steps of 408 York Ave.
Court of Kings Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal informed Anderson and Woodhouse they’re harmless and deserve acquittals.
“I’m now happy to enter them,” Joyal stated of the acquittals. “Your stories are stories of courage and resilience.”
So many individuals confirmed as much as watch the proceedings the matter needed to be moved to an even bigger room. When Joyal introduced his resolution, the courtroom cheered.
In June, federal Justice Minister David Lametti ordered a brand new trial for the 2 males, citing unspecified new proof.
On Tuesday the Crown requested for an acquittal of Anderson and Woodhouse, who’re Indigenous, saying systemic racism had affected the investigation and prosecution.
Anderson and Woodhouse have been convicted by an all-white jury in 1974 for the killing of Chan, however appealed their convictions to the next courtroom shortly after.
Their appeals have been denied.
Anderson was launched on parole in 1987 and Woodhouse in 1990.
Surrounded by household after his acquittal, Anderson, now 68, stated his help saved him going by way of the years.
“Hopefully I can move on from here on without any more courts,” he stated.
Woodhouse stated he thinks a lot of the purpose they have been convicted could possibly be attributed to racism, nevertheless it’s not the legal justice system itself that should change, however its supply.
“It’s just the practice of it, that’s where we fail,” he stated.
“I’m more hurt than angry.”
James Lockyer stated there’s no technique to know what the 2 males have misplaced over the many years since their wrongful convictions.
“We’ve dealt with a number of people in situations where they spent a lot of time in prison for a crime they didn’t commit; we’ve never got to 50 years before,” Lockyer, a lawyer and founding director of Innocence Canada, stated.
Innocence Canada, a nationwide group that advocates for the wrongly convicted, took on the Anderson and Woodhouse case in early 2018 after reviewing information which prompt discrimination was at play.
Crown prosecutor Michelle Jules informed the courtroom Tuesday she wouldn’t name any proof.
“Our justice system failed,” Jules informed Joyal throughout proceedings. “Failed to provide them a fair trial.”
Lockyer stated there are “without a doubt” different wrongfully convicted folks presently sitting in Manitoba prisons.
Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen believes a miscarriage of justice passed off.
In a press release Tuesday, Goertzen supplied his apologies to Anderson, Woodhouse and their households, however famous “nothing that can be said that will bring back the years of lost freedom or the time away from family and friends.”
He stated the wrongful conviction has additionally taken a toll on Chan’s household, as they’ve sought justice, too.
“This miscarriage of justice compounds the suffering of the Chan family as well, and as attorney general, I regret and recognize this hardship,” Goertzen stated.
The males’s convictions have been primarily based largely on a signed confession given by Anderson to police, however attorneys have stated Anderson didn’t know what he was signing and English was not his first language.
On a U.S.-based podcast final 12 months, Anderson stated he signed a chunk of paper he thought was a receipt for his private property that he had surrendered upon his arrest.
Now, earlier than starting his new life as a free man, 67-year-old Woodhouse stated he feels reduction.
“It’s about time somebody believed me; 50 years is a long time.”
Innocence Canada stated they may announce their subsequent steps within the case, together with whether or not they may search monetary compensation for the 2 males, on Wednesday.
— with information from Marney Blunt, Sam Brownell and The Canadian Press
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