Police in Lindsay, Ont., have faced criticism for charging man after alleged home intruder injured. After a decision to charge a man for allegedly assaulting an intruder in his home in Lindsay, Ont., sparked widespread reaction this week, one criminal lawyer has a reminder for the public: self-defence is legal in Canada, but within reason.
The Kawartha Lakes Police Service has faced criticism for charging a 44-year-old man after an altercation that left the alleged intruder with life-threatening injuries Monday morning in the small town northeast of Toronto. Police have provided few details but say the resident is facing charges for aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, and the intruder, who is also facing charges, was airlifted to hospital afterward.
The incident even prompted reaction from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who weighed in on the case Wednesday, saying the charges against the resident show “something is broken.” But Tonya Kent, a criminal lawyer based in Toronto, says public backlash against the charges — including from Ford — is premature given the lack of information about the case. She says some of the concerns about the charges are also erroneous. ”I’ve seen numerous comments on Twitter about how there’s no self-defence in Canada, when we fully have a section that deals with self-defence,” she said…
Source: cbc.ca/news
