Another teenage girl charged with second-degree murder in connection with what police called a “swarming” attack on Toronto man Ken Lee was released on bail on Tuesday.
The girl, represented by defense attorney Anne-Marie Morphew, is the fourth person to be released on bail in a high-profile case.
Lee, a 59-year-old man from Toronto, was pronounced dead in hospital early on December 18, 2022, after being beaten and stabbed by a group of girls not far from a downtown shelter. rice field.
Eight teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 16 have been charged in connection with the incident. Their identities cannot be made public under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Hearing Judge Maria Siliver’s decision in Youth Court, the family clapped and wept and fell to their knees.
The teen’s bail had the following conditions:
- she has to stay home.
- She can’t have a cell phone.
- She is not allowed to use the Internet except for school, visits with lawyers, medical appointments, or counseling purposes.
- No weapons.
- She must have no contact with her accomplice.
- She cannot leave Ontario.
The bail hearing process began in early January in court for the seven accused girls. At that hearing, each of the remaining defendants was scheduled to spend their day in court seeking bail.
An eighth teenager charged in connection with the case was granted bail in December. All bail hearings are held in the courthouse at 311 Jervis Street, Toronto.
A pretrial ban covering evidence presented in court during these hearings is in place, but orders and comments made by judges may be reported during the process.
Bail hearings usually fall under a general publication ban primarily intended to protect the integrity of future trials. At bail hearings, lawyers can present evidence in court. This evidence may later be shown at trial as part of the debate as to whether the accused should be granted bail.
If that evidence were to be published or broadcast first, it could pollute the jury pool in the future. You can’t disseminate it until the ban is lifted (in jury trials, which is often when the jury starts deliberating. Other terms are ordered).
