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Crime Beat
Last post 09-30-2008, 4:21 PM by Paladin. 179 replies.
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 05-31-2007, 2:42 PM |
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Paladin
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After 45 court appearances, car thief sent to jail
2007 05 30
After 45 court appearances, car thief Daniel Ray Downey,sent to jail
Judge calls 'manipulation and deception' by Moncton man Daniel Ray Downey, in 7-year legal battle motivating factors for two-year prison term
By Craig Babstock
Times & Transcript Staff
A Moncton man was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday after spending seven years fighting a charge he was in possession of a stolen truck.
While sentencing Daniel Ray Downey, 40, Moncton provincial court Judge Anne Dugas-Horsman made reference to the accused's extensive efforts to fight the allegation.
"(Downey) defended this charge to an unprecedented level of tenacity," said the judge, noting he'd appeared before the court 45 times on this matter in the last seven years.
But Downey's efforts failed and he was led from court by sheriff's officers yesterday morning, to begin his two-year sentence. Crown prosecutor Michel O. LeBlanc had asked for a three-year sentence, while Downey was looking for a conditional sentence, to be served in the community.
Dugas-Horsman said the crime had to be strongly deterred, making a penitentiary term necessary.
"All along the way, in my view, the manipulation and deception of Daniel Downey was a highly aggravating factor as it points to the deliberate nature of his actions," said the judge.
Dugas-Horsman said Downey was "highly aggressive" in his attempts to deceive the court during the proceedings.
"(There's an) important distinction to be drawn between someone who is found in possession of a vehicle a few days after it was stolen and one who, like Daniel Downey, goes to great lengths to legitimize a stolen vehicle for his own use, solely motivated by greed."
The strange case begins back in 1999, when Amherst police recovered a burned-out stolen 2000 Dodge Ram 4x4 as part of an investigation. In November of that year, Downey bought the wreck from its owner for $77.50.
Some time later, an Amherst police officer who worked the stolen vehicle case looked up the vehicle identification number of the wreck and found it was registered in New Brunswick and back on the road. He became suspicious that the wreck was now considered road-worthy and notified Codiac RCMP.
In April 2001, Downey was arrested in possession of a stolen 2000 Dodge Ram in Moncton. The VIN matched the burned out wreck, but the rest of the vehicle was later proven by police investigators in court to have been stolen from a dealership in Summerside, P.E.I.
A charge of possession of stolen property exceeding $5,000 was laid, with police and the prosecution alleging a "classic VIN switch operation," where the stolen vehicle's VIN was replaced with the VIN from the wreck.
Shortly after police experts examined the stolen vehicle, it went missing, stolen from Codiac RCMP's compound.
The matter finally went to trial in 2003 and Downey was found guilty in December of that year. He had argued all along that the truck he was arrested with had been pieced together from other vehicles and was not stolen.
Sentencing was scheduled for March 2004 and the defendant turned up in court claiming he was now in possession of the truck he'd been arrested with, that was stolen from the police lot. He told the court he'd managed to find the truck and now had new evidence to prove his innocence.
Downey made a motion to re-open the case and that dragged on for the next two years because there were delays regarding the preparation of court transcripts, and the fact he was no longer represented by his lawyer. Evidence was heard on the motion over the next couple of years.
During this time, the Crown called expert police witnesses who said the truck Downey claimed to have recovered in March 2004, was not the stolen truck from P.E.I. It was a truck pieced together from the original burned-out wreck, the stolen P.E.I. truck, a truck from the U.S. and another truck.
The Crown proved this could not have been the truck from the 2001 arrest, because some of the parts in the "recovered" truck were still in the United States at the time of Downey's arrest.
This past April 18, Dugas-Horsman denied the motion to re-open the case and confirmed the original guilty verdict.
Downey, who is married with four children and is self-employed in the fields of apartment building ownership and snow removal, returned to court for sentencing yesterday. The judge noted his previous criminal record from 1989-1994, that includes serious property infractions, including a break and enter in Springhill, obstructing a peace officer and an attempt to obstruct justice.
The Crown asked for three years because of the social impact of car theft, which is on the rise. For example, the Summerside dealership was paid $31,000 by its insurance company for the stolen truck.
LeBlanc submitted statistics from the Insurance Bureau of Canada that show auto theft comes with a $1 billion cost to Canadians every year. It's also a crime on the rise in New Brunswick, with 1,687 cars stolen in this province in 2002, 1,773 in 2003 and 2,292 in 2004.
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| 06-03-2007, 12:56 PM |
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At leastb 35 injured when car plows into D.C. street festival
http://mikeoncrime.com/
Mike McIntyre is the justice reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.
He operates his own website, www.mikeoncrime.com, which is updated several times a day and features the latest in local, national and international crime and justice.
Dozens injured when car plows into D.C. street festival; driver caught near scene
DATE: Jun 3, 11:43
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
WASHINGTON (AP) – A woman plowed her car through a crowded street festival Saturday night, injuring about 35 people, including two police officers who drove their motor scooters into her path attempting to stop her, authorities said.
Police said seven of the victims, including two children under age 3, suffered major injuries.
Officers caught up with the driver, whom they identified as Tonya Bell, 30, of Oxon Hill, Md., near the site of the festival in the city’s Anacostia neighbourhood. She was arrested and charged with aggravated assault while armed. The “armed” part of the charge refers to the car. District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said additional charges are pending.
Police said Bell had a 7-year-old child in the car with her.
They were conducting blood tests that would show whether alcohol or drugs were involved.
“We’re still trying to piece together exactly just what happened that led up to this,” Lanier said at the scene.
She said a vehicle believed to be Bell’s was driving erratically and struck a police car and fled the scene about a half-hour before the crash at the festival, which occurred at about 8 p.m.
Alan Etter, a spokesman for the District of Columbia fire department, said authorities believe Bell was going about 112 km/h when she came through the festival.
The scene cordoned off Saturday night extended for several blocks, reflecting the vehicle’s long path of destruction. Litter and debris from festival food stands were scattered in the street.
Witnesses described an extended period of mayhem in which the driver started off slowly through some closed streets and finally hit the accelerator on the avenue running through the heart of Unifest, an annual event sponsored by a church. The car hit a stage where people were dancing, witnesses said.
Ryland Anderson, 19, and Philemon Walker, 24, told The Washington Post they were about to cross the street as the festival was winding down when the car sped past. They described strollers being flung into the air and said they saw the body of a man apparently lodged in the station wagon’s wheel well.
“She was driving like ‘if you’re in my way, you’re going to get hit,”’ Walker said.
David White, president of the Chicago Shannon Civic Association, said Bell grew up in the neighbourhood and is well known. White said he and other residents saw her in the area on Saturday morning, driving erratically and clipping parked cars. He said he confronted her, but she acted like she didn’t know him.
“I said, ‘Tonya, what are you doing?’ She was sweating like a race horse. We tried our best to stop her. ... She was just in a deranged state of mind,” White said.
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
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Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-03-2007, 10:22 PM |
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Paladin
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Clayton Smith of Snider Mountain goes to prison
From The Telegraph-Journal
Drug dealer Clayton Smith of Snider Mountain goes to prison
Tammy Scott-Wallace
Telegraph-Journal
page C2
The man familiar in the Sussex area for peddling drugs is off to a federal prison for three years.
Clayton Smith of Snider Mountain was handed the sentence by Judge Henrik Tonning in Sussex provincial court Friday.
On May 24 he admitted to producing marijuana and trafficking both cocaine and ecstasy from his home 15 kilometres outside Sussex. He had been in custody since his plea on the three federal Controlled Drug and Substance Act charges.
He also pleaded guilty last month to a Criminal Code offence of possessing four loaded weapons without a proper licence. Four other charges were dropped.
Although Smith, 39, had no previous convictions for drug-related offences, the court has heard evidence that he has been a significant contributor to the drug community.
He was arrested on March 9 after an undercover police operation involving plain-clothes officers from Hampton RCMP, members of the provincial division's Emergency Response Team and uniformed Sussex RCMP raided his rural home.
Lawyer Larry Veniot said his client ran a significant, long-time drug operation well-known in the community. Police closed it down without incident and Smith was co-operative during the bust and the court process that has followed.
Police say the take down was organized after a lengthy investigation and surveillance of the drug house.
Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-05-2007, 9:06 AM |
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Paladin
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NS Man Daniel Sylvester, beats, kills neigbour
2007 07 05
Nova Scotia
From The Daily News, Halifax
A division of Transcontinental Media Inc.
http://www.hfxnews.com/
Sentence expected today for Daniel Sylvester, who beat, killed neighbour on path
http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=42357&sc=89
MARIA BABBAGE
CP
The wrenching grief of a mother devastated by the violent murder of her daughter became the heartbreaking focus of a sentencing hearing yesterday for an Ontario man convicted of killing his 25-year-old neighbour.
Daniel Sylvester, 33, was found guilty of second-degree murder in May in the August 2005 death of Alicia Ross. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter before the trial, but the Crown rejected the plea. His sentence is expected today.
Her voice at times cracking with emotion, Ross's mother Sharon Fortis described how her life is haunted by memories of her daughter - memories tainted by her gruesome death.
Led by Sylvester, police found Ross's skeletal remains near Coboconk, Ont., five weeks after she disappeared from her Markham home, just north of Toronto.
There were more than 30 fractures to Ross's body, including her face and neck, but no cause of death was ever determined, the Crown said.
His lawyer maintains Sylvester never intended to kill Ross, but was provoked when Ross called him a "loser" during an encounter on the pathway between their homes in the early hours of Aug. 17, 2005.
Sylvester, who turned himself in to police in September 2005, told police he lost his temper after Ross allegedly made the remark.
He smacked her in the face, and as she tried to defend herself, his attack grew more vicious.
He grabbed her by the shoulders, forced her to the ground, kneed her in the chest, then slammed her head into the pavement two or three times.
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762
Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-05-2007, 9:14 AM |
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911...What is your emergency?
Are you coming down and need another fix, RIGHT NOW ?
Tired of waithing for your regulation to make contact?
Don't dispare..a Halifax man to the rescue..
sort of a 911-3030
If it doesn't arrive in 30 minutes, do we get it for free?
2007 07 05
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Nova Scotia
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From The Chronicle Herald,Halifax
The Halifax Herald Limited
http://thechronicleherald.ca
Round-the-clock drug dealing puts Halifax pusher Christopher Vanamburg in jail for 2 years
Halifax man, 24, filled and delivered cocaine orders over the phone
By JENNIFER STEWART Court Reporter
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/845412.html
A Halifax man who filled and delivered cocaine orders through a round-the-clock dope operation was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.
Christopher Vanamburg reached behind his back and grasped his tearful wife’s hand as Justice Richard Coughlan read out his decision in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
The father of two, who turns 24 today, pleaded guilty April 19 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine between Feb. 24 and June 20, 2005.
Defence lawyer Donald Murray argued that the evidence, hundreds of intercepted phone conversations involving Mr. Vanamburg and several of his co-conspirators, proved that his client only worked between April 1 and May 19, 2005.
But federal Crown attorney Susan Bour pointed out that the conversations played in court last week were only a snapshot of the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation. She said there could have been other phone calls implicating Mr. Vanamburg that were not intercepted.
Two police officers testified Friday on the level of sophistication of the metro dial-a-dope operation, which was broken up on June 20, 2005, after months of police surveillance.
Det.-Const. Perry Astephen of the RCMP described the setup as both well-established and highly profitable.
He said Mr. Vanamburg played a fairly large role in the operation’s success, going "far beyond" a simple driver to someone who knew the location of the stash, helped process the drugs and restocked the 24-hour crack shop.
"His involvement was quite deep," Det.-Const. Astephen said.
Besides cocaine and crack cocaine, the operation supplied ecstasy and magic mushrooms. Police said customers could simply call one of two numbers and place their orders, and the drugs would be delivered to an agreed location in a matter of hours.
Seventeen people — 11 men, five women and one teenage girl — were arrested in the 2005 raid that involved simultaneous searches at 10 residences in the Halifax area.
Officers seized a total of 700 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as a quantity of ecstasy and psilocybin (magic mushrooms), $30,000 and several vehicles.
Some additional drugs were also taken by police in earlier stages of the operation.
Most of the accused have either pleaded guilty or were convicted of charges such as trafficking, possession or conspiracy.
In his closing submissions Wednesday, Mr. Murray suggested that defendants Richard Bonin and Robert Jones, both awaiting trial, and Cecil Hatch, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine, were the ones who ran the operation.
He argued that Mr. Vanamburg was a "petty retailer" with no criminal record, who was struggling to provide a better life for his wife and two young children when he got involved.
Mr. Vanamburg told the judge that he and his wife were going through a rough patch when he turned to drugs to make money.
"I made a lot of stupid mistakes," he admitted, pointing out that once he became a dealer, he was stuck. "It was a lifestyle I couldn’t just jump out of for the safety of myself and my family."
The two-year sentence falls short of Ms. Bour’s recommendation of more than three years in prison. Mr. Murray had asked for a term of 18 to 22 months, to be served in the community.
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
Canadian Crime News
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http://moncton101.spaces.live.com
crime beat, police beat, Moncton, Moncton101, Atlantic Canada, Halifax, Fredericton, Saint John, Dartmouth,Canadian Crime News,Sex Offence Charges,Sex Offenders, Registry
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2007 07 05
==
Nova Scotia
==
From The Chronicle Herald,Halifax
The Halifax Herald Limited
http://thechronicleherald.ca
Round-the-clock drug dealing puts Halifax pusher Christopher Vanamburg in jail for 2 years
Halifax man, 24, filled and delivered cocaine orders over the phone
By JENNIFER STEWART Court Reporter
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/845412.html
A Halifax man who filled and delivered cocaine orders through a round-the-clock dope operation was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.
Christopher Vanamburg reached behind his back and grasped his tearful wife’s hand as Justice Richard Coughlan read out his decision in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
The father of two, who turns 24 today, pleaded guilty April 19 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine between Feb. 24 and June 20, 2005.
Defence lawyer Donald Murray argued that the evidence, hundreds of intercepted phone conversations involving Mr. Vanamburg and several of his co-conspirators, proved that his client only worked between April 1 and May 19, 2005.
But federal Crown attorney Susan Bour pointed out that the conversations played in court last week were only a snapshot of the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation. She said there could have been other phone calls implicating Mr. Vanamburg that were not intercepted.
Two police officers testified Friday on the level of sophistication of the metro dial-a-dope operation, which was broken up on June 20, 2005, after months of police surveillance.
Det.-Const. Perry Astephen of the RCMP described the setup as both well-established and highly profitable.
He said Mr. Vanamburg played a fairly large role in the operation’s success, going "far beyond" a simple driver to someone who knew the location of the stash, helped process the drugs and restocked the 24-hour crack shop.
"His involvement was quite deep," Det.-Const. Astephen said.
Besides cocaine and crack cocaine, the operation supplied ecstasy and magic mushrooms. Police said customers could simply call one of two numbers and place their orders, and the drugs would be delivered to an agreed location in a matter of hours.
Seventeen people — 11 men, five women and one teenage girl — were arrested in the 2005 raid that involved simultaneous searches at 10 residences in the Halifax area.
Officers seized a total of 700 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as a quantity of ecstasy and psilocybin (magic mushrooms), $30,000 and several vehicles.
Some additional drugs were also taken by police in earlier stages of the operation.
Most of the accused have either pleaded guilty or were convicted of charges such as trafficking, possession or conspiracy.
In his closing submissions Wednesday, Mr. Murray suggested that defendants Richard Bonin and Robert Jones, both awaiting trial, and Cecil Hatch, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine, were the ones who ran the operation.
He argued that Mr. Vanamburg was a "petty retailer" with no criminal record, who was struggling to provide a better life for his wife and two young children when he got involved.
Mr. Vanamburg told the judge that he and his wife were going through a rough patch when he turned to drugs to make money.
"I made a lot of stupid mistakes," he admitted, pointing out that once he became a dealer, he was stuck. "It was a lifestyle I couldn’t just jump out of for the safety of myself and my family."
The two-year sentence falls short of Ms. Bour’s recommendation of more than three years in prison. Mr. Murray had asked for a term of 18 to 22 months, to be served in the community.
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
Canadian Crime News
http://groups.msn.com/CanadianCrimeNews/
http://moncton101.spaces.live.com
crime beat, police beat, Moncton, Moncton101, Atlantic Canada, Halifax, Fredericton, Saint John, Dartmouth,Canadian Crime News,Sex Offence Charges,Sex Offenders, Registry
Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-09-2007, 12:37 AM |
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Paladin
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Thieves lured by shine of metal money from coast to coast
Thieves lured by shine of metal money from coast to coast
2007 07 08
Aluminum billboards disappearing in Vancouver, stainless steel tanker trucks reported stolen in Quebec, a copper wire theft in New Brunswick resulting in a death, beer kegs in Nova Scotia and a two-tonne bronze statue snagged from an Ontario park.
Across the country no metal item seems too big or too small as police report an increasing number of incidents they are associating with the growing black market for scrap metal.
The phenomenon is nationwide, but British Columbia has seen the most frequent incidents, says Len Shaw, executive director of the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries, while Ontario takes the cake in terms of the volume of metal stolen.
In January, thieves made off with aluminum bleachers at a baseball diamond in Ucluelet, B.C. The province has been dealing for months with the theft of scrap metal from Vancouver billboards and memorial plaques removed from park benches in Nanaimo, among other targets.
"B.C. has very specific social problems, drugs, etc," Shaw explained. "They're looking for cash, they go steal a billboard made of aluminum for quick money."
The metals that are getting the most attention from thieves are bronze, stainless steel, copper and aluminum.
Metal theft spares no industry or borders. According to the California Farm Bureau, metal theft in rural areas there doubled in 2005 and shot up another 400 per cent in 2006, so the state is now considering legislation to make it harder for thieves to make a quick buck off stolen scrap.
In Michigan, authorities tripled the deposit on beer kegs to discourage thieves from selling them to scrap dealers.
Shaw says the phenomenon isn't necessarily new, but the size and frequency of thefts are, boosted by the fact scrap metal is a basic supply and demand issue and commodity prices are high all over the world.
But copper is a prized metal and there is a shortage in inventories, leading to higher prices, which in turn is encouraging more thefts across the nation's construction and utility sites.
The price of copper reached an eight-week high of US$3.5935 a pound -- it was US$1 a pound in 2003 -- at the New York Mercantile Exchange this past week. It has been fuelled by the U.S. housing boom and, more recently, China and India's seemingly boundless growth.
Often outshone by more precious metals, copper is commonly used in many daily items, for electricity, computer components, data and phone transmissions, plumbing as well as various household appliances.
And some thieves will take great risks for a few metres of copper wire.
In May, an attempt to break into a New Brunswick power substation to steal copper wires resulted in the electrocution of one of the two thieves.
There have been 75 break-ins at substations across the province in the last 18 months, despite tighter security.
"Some folks are just willing to take that risk," observed Sgt. Greg MacAvoy of the Charlotte County, N.B., RCMP. "Commonly, we find that a lot of folks involved in this type of activity are desperate for cash to support an addiction and are willing to do all sorts of things."
While metal fever seems to be spreading across the country, some regions are noticeably spared. Alberta has reported few incidents, probably due to the province's current boom, said Shaw, of the recyclng industry association.
"I guess, frankly, even the thieves out there have jobs," he said with a laugh.
In his quiet corner of southwestern New Brunswick, MacAvoy said that in his 15 years in the RCMP, it's only this spring that cases of metal theft really started surging.
"The price of metals is rising, making them a little more appealing," he said. "Several years ago copper wire probably wouldn't have been at the top of their list."
Local government officials had recently been noticing how aluminum road signs seemed to be disappearing at a growing frequency, he added.
In addition to the value of the metal stolen, inconvenience costs also have to be factored in, MacAvoy said, such as reconstruction costs, extra man-hours of work and interruption of public services.
Overall, the RCMP said it doesn't have a specialized team investigating metal theft, but if thefts continue at this rate, community groups, businesses and even governments may start clamouring for some kind of national plan.
Among the more peculiar items recovered from scrap yards recently was the 135-kilogram bell stolen from Plymouth-Trinity United Church in Sherbrooke, Que. It was recovered in a Montreal scrapyard last March.
Parishioners were fortunate the mass of yellow brass only made it 150 kilometres away. In some cases, large items have quickly been sent overseas.
Last December, a two-tonne bronze statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko was pulled from its park perch in Oakville, Ont. It's believed to have been shipped to China to be melted down. Only its head was found.
How big does metal theft get? Quebec's trucking association is concerned it is being targeted by metal thieves after a dozen stainless steel and aluminum tankers were stolen in the last couple of months. It suspects their rigs are also joining the scrap heap after being stripped of valuable steel.
"They don't show up at a local scrap yard," Shaw said of large items. "They're pretty much, we expect, put into a container and shipped overseas."
The metal theft boom has given scrap dealers a bad name, Shaw points out, despite the fact they're also frequent targets and his association has promoted ethical business practices.
"We are a very large target for these types of thefts," Shaw stressed. In addition, it's hard to track down where much of the material comes from.
"Police are having tremendous difficulty obtaining convictions because they are unable to do that," he said.
CanWest News Service 2007
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
Canadian Crime News
http://groups.msn.com/CanadianCrimeNews/
http://moncton101.spaces.live.com
http://groups.msn.com/Moncton101/
http://groups.msn.com/MonctonsSingleAdults
http://groups.msn.com/NBsingles
http://groups.msn.com/LifelineGreaterMoncton
crime beat, police beat, Moncton, Moncton101, Atlantic Canada, Halifax, Fredericton, Saint John, Dartmouth,Canadian Crime News,Sex Offence Charges,Sex Offenders, Registry
Moncton buy, sell, trade, Give away & Looking for,Yard & Garage Sales, Coupon Exchange, Local Events, 4 & 2 Rent, People Locater, F.Y.I., Crime Beat, Moncton101 buy sell trade, Promote your abilities, And much more.
782
Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-12-2007, 4:02 PM |
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Paladin
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Thieves show up in Bentley, make off with $20 million worth of jewelry
Canadian Crime News, International
2007 07 12
London thieves show up in Bentley, make off with millions worth of jewelry
LONDON (AP)
Two thieves showed up at a London jeweller in a flashy car and made off with an even flashier haul, stealing the equivalent of about C$20 million worth of diamonds and gems, the jeweller said Wednesday.
The well-dressed pair stepped out of a Bentley Continental Flying Spur – a car valued at about $260,000 – and into the West London branch of Graff jewellers. Graff spokeswoman Fiona Spence provided information on the July 5 robbery after released a closed-circuit television image Tuesday believed to be of the two men, the BBC’s website reported.
One wore a dark blazer and a Panama hat, while the other wore a cream suit.
Police appealed for help identifying the robbers and the vehicle in which they were driven to the store.
“It is not everyday that people use a Bentley to arrive at a premises they intend to rob,” Det. Sgt. Sarah Staff said.
The suspects chatted with staff, pretending to be customers, before brandishing handguns and stealing diamonds and precious stone-studded rings, necklaces, pendants and earrings, officials said.
Spence said in an e-mail statement: “One of the items taken was a necklace weighing more than 155 carats which alone was worth more than one million pounds,” or $2.1 million.
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
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| 07-15-2007, 6:24 PM |
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Paladin
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Bazookas, snakes found in mail ,Canada
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Mike McIntyre is the justice reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.
He operates his own website, www.mikeoncrime.com, which is updated several times a day and features the latest in local, national and international crime and justice.
Bazookas, snakes found in mail bound for Canada
2007 07 15
TORONTO — Bazookas, containers squirming with snakes and toys stuffed with cocaine — they’ve all managed to find their way into Canada in a way most people might never expect.
Neatly packaged and creatively disguised, they’re just some of the thousands of surprising discoveries made by Canada Border Services officials simply by examining packages and parcels destined for mailboxes across the country.
“For some reason, people think they can mail anything,” said Peter, who works at the international mail processing centre in Mississauga, Ont., which handles 70 per cent of the mail that comes into Canada.
“You would never walk into an airport with a AK-47,” said Peter, who didn’t want his name disclosed for security reasons, “but somehow it seems OK to mail it.”
The surprises Peter has encountered in his three years include an assortment of weapons, a buffet of narcotics and a number of “live” packages.
“Just a couple days ago, one of the officers came in and said there was something moving in a package, so we X-rayed it, and it was live snakes,” he said.
In some cases, the insects are set up as booby traps aimed at harming the person opening the package, he added.
“We have had live scorpions moving around in tubes, and even hundreds of baby tarantulas all stacked up in a plastic container.’‘
Even before Canada Post gets a hold of the mail, every international package and letter coming into the country is scrutinized and processed by the Canada Border Service Agency.
“We are the first line of defence,” said Patrizia Giolti, communications manager for the agency. “We see your letter, your parcel, your shipment first.”
Deadly insects and reptiles aren’t the only hazards these officials regularly come across. The Canada Post building where the centre is based has been evacuated numerous times when packages containing bombs, grenades or landmines turn up.
“On my third day on the job, I got a box that looked like a large battery pack that had been taped up with electrical tape and had wires running out of it … so I think, ‘It’s a bomb,’” said Doug, another worker who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“I sounded the horn, the entire building was evacuated and the bomb squad came in. It turned out to be a battery for an old-style video camera.”
People who order weapons online are usually military collectors who buy the items overseas and have them shipped home, said Doug.
“Every country has different regulations governing their post office. It may be fine to send it from one country, but arriving in Canada it’s not allowed.”
In many cases, an offending package is glaringly obvious, with odd handwriting, undeclared contents, and suspicious packaging.
But more often the packages look innocuous, and show no signs of foul play. In one case, the prohibited substance was so well-hidden that it was embedded inside the corrugated cardboard used in the packaging.
“Sometimes people will soak the box in opium so that by the time it gets to Canada, it has dried, and can be scraped off,” Peter said.
“Other times, we will find cocaine in toys, books, food containers, and even clothes,” he said. Detector dogs come to the centre two to three times a week and all suspicious packages are X-rayed, he added.
In situations where a prohibited item has been discovered, the officials then share intelligence and evidence with the appropriate law enforcement agencies, who can then lay charges if necessary, Giolti said.
“The mail is not a free-for all; you just can’t ship anything and everything you want,” she said. “Just because it’s in the mail doesn’t mean we won’t find you, if it comes to that.”
Other drugs that have been mailed into Canada include marijuana, ecstasy, heroin and “insane amounts of Viagra,” said Peter.
“We get thousands of pills a day. A lot of people buy it online, but they don’t know it’s a controlled substance, and you can’t have it unless you have a prescription.”
While online shopping sites such as EBay have dramatically increased the volume of mail coming into the processing centre, which receives 12-15 million packages a year, Peter says it has also helped to make his job unpredictable.
“Every time I come across something odd, like let’s say soiled underwear, I check eBay,” he says. “And guess what, you can buy it there.”
We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and efforts by the original reporters and news mediums, to bring these reports to our attention. Our aim is to bring these stories/reports as much exposure as possible and credit those who provided them.
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Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-17-2007, 5:37 PM |
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Texas Man Accused of Burning Girlfriend Alive During Fight Has Shown 'Little Remorse'
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From
Prime Time Crime
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Texas Man Accused of Burning Girlfriend Alive During Fight Has Shown 'Little Remorse'
2007 07 17
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
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Murder charges were filed Monday in the burning death of Texas child-welfare caseworker Terry Leigh Lee, allegedly at the hands of her new boyfriend — who has shown "little remorse," police told FOXNews.com.
John Marshall Dodd, 42, is behind bars, accused of pouring gasoline on his girlfriend of just a few months after striking her during an ugly fight, then setting her on fire. Dodd initially lied to neighbors and investigators about what happened, saying Lee had been burned in a kitchen accident, according to authorities.
He faces life in prison if convicted and is currently in the Montgomery County Jail on $250,000 bail.
More than 90 percent of Lee's body and face were scorched in the attack late Saturday night at her home in Conroe, Texas, a suburban community about 30 miles outside of Houston. The 44-year-old caseworker of the state's Child Protective Services died Sunday night of her injuries at an area hospital.
Conroe Police Sgt. Mike Tindall told FOXNews.com in a phone interview that authorities pieced together what happened based on a statement Dodd gave them, as well as evidence they gathered from the scene — but said the suspect hasn't expressed regret at what he allegedly did to Lee.
"He has been what I would describe as somewhat cooperative," Tindall said. "He really has shown very little remorse throughout."
Tindall said the couple had been out on a brief date earlier Saturday evening for about an hour-and-a-half or two hours before returning back to Lee's house, where Dodd would occasionally spend the night. They got into a quarrel, which escalated and became violent, he said.
"At this point, we don't know what the argument was about," said Tindall. "The argument turned physical. The victim suffered facial fractures ... He struck her with something, whether it was with his hands or some type of weapon he picked up in the house. At some point, he went out into the garage of the residence, retrieved a can full of gas, poured the gasoline on her and ignited it."
Police found several lighters in the house, though they aren't certain what Dodd used to set his girlfriend on fire. Lee never regained consciousness, so she wasn't able to shed light on what happened.
"We were never able to speak with her before she passed away," said Tindall.
He said there hadn't been any history of violence between the victim and the suspect as far as police knew.
"We have not had any calls of any violence between him and her," he said. He declined to comment on whether Dodd had any known history of domestic violence.
There was no evidence that alcohol played a role in the fight or the attack, according to Tindall. An autopsy report was pending.
Neighbors told police they called 911 after Dodd ran to their home with the story that there had been an explosion, according to The Associated Press. Tindall said the suspect had changed his story a number of times before admitting that he doused Lee with gas and set her on fire.
Lee was a Montgomery County caseworker and the 2005 winner of the Texas CPS caseworker of the year award. She has a teenage daughter from a previous marriage who is currently staying with her father in the Houston area, according to Tindall.
He said he knew the victim from her work as a child advocate for the county.
"I've known her for several years," Tindall said. "She was a very nice lady. She was always very helpful to us and our investigations. ... She loved working for the kids. She was a strong advocate for children."
A spokeswoman from Child Protective Services said those in the department were "all saddened and shocked by her loss."
"Terry did so much for families and children. She had so much to give," CPS's Gwen Carter told FOXNews.com. "She always went above and beyond, and never complained. She really wanted to help people."
Carter said her coworkers had no indication that there was any violence in Lee's relationship, and she didn't personally know that Lee was dating Dodd.
Though Tindall wouldn't comment on Dodd's criminal history, public records show that the suspect has had several run-ins with the law, according to The Houston Chronicle.
Dodd is no stranger to prison, having spent time there for attempted sexual assault during a burglary, the newspaper reported.
He was sentenced to five years in jail in 1993, though he was freed on parole in 1995, the Chronicle reported. No further details on that case were immediately available, but public records also indicate that Dodd has been arrested numerous times over the years on theft, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and other charges.
Lee was visited throughout the day Sunday by family, friends, coworkers and associates who came to her bedside at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Medical Center.
"They were all visibly upset," Tindall said. "They were trying to figure out what happened."
The woman's sister, Margo Duke, told the Chronicle that Lee had been "a champion for children. ... She was auntie to so many children. ... She helped everyone."
The paper reported that Duke, 45, said she'd never met Dodd but knew that her sister had been seeing him for about three months and that he worked at a fitness center.
Tindall said investigators have not been able to determine for sure what Dodd does for a living.
He told police that he is a personal trainer, but he isn't on record as having worked for any gyms or fitness facilities in town, according to Tindall.
Terry Leigh Lee
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John Marshall Dodd
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Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net. Moncton's Free Classifieds http://www.moncton.net/classifieds/ "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein -
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| 07-18-2007, 5:44 PM |
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Paladin
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Age-old feud in Cape Breton
Nova Scotia
From The Chronicle Herald,Halifax
The Halifax Herald Limited
http://thechronicleherald.ca
Age-old feud suspected in recent Cape Breton house fires
2007 07 18
By TERA CAMUS Cape Breton Bureau
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/847948.html
BAY ST. LAWRENCE — Many visitors consider this northern Cape Breton seaside community to be a paradise, but lately it has been a living hell for some residents.
A vacant home was burned in nearby Dingwall overnight Friday, one of three suspicious fires to destroy dwellings in either Bay St. Lawrence or Dingwall in recent weeks.
The owner told The Chronicle Herald on Tuesday that he feels he was targeted and that his connection to a family involved in a generations-old feud is a factor.
"It really bothers me . . . that I didn’t get the chance to sell it," said the man, who asked that his name be withheld.
"Bay St. Lawrence used to be a good fishing place and money was pretty easy to come by, but now money isn’t so easy to come by," he said. "Fishing is harder, everything is harder.
"Bottom line, it’s all the drugs and alcohol, plus the family feuding.
"Everyone gets tanked up and one fella wants to do something to the other guy, and then all hell breaks loose."
About a month ago, a trailer in Bay St. Lawrence was burned to the ground in a suspicious fire. The owner’s mother’s home was destroyed in another suspicious fire last Saturday.
"The fighting goes way back, generations, and the younger fellas got to keep it going, keep the fuel on the fire, and it’s stupid, really," said the man whose Dingwall house burned.
"It hurts all around, the tourism industry, what people live on down here. It takes the heart out of here."
Members of three families — the Bonnars, the MacLellans and the MacKinnons — are frequent flyers in the justice system. Several family members are facing charges or have lengthy criminal records for crimes related to violence, gunfire, drugs or property damage. Many other residents feel they are forced to align themselves with one of the three families.
But arsons aren’t the only problem in the northern Cape Breton community of a few hundred residents.
In nearby St. Margaret Village at about 5 a.m. on July 6, a thief or thieves with a chainsaw cut a hole in the Co-op store and stole $500 worth of liquor. Ingonish Beach RCMP say they have a couple of suspects in mind but no one has been charged.
Also on July 6, an 80-year-old MacLellan elder was robbed at gunpoint in his Bay St. Lawrence home. He wasn’t hurt but the robber made off with $15, a bottle of rum and the elderly man’s rifle.
The RCMP are investigating those matters and others but say their progress is hampered by a lack of co-operation from the community.
"Without . . . providing us real good information to address some of these issues, our hands get tied a little bit," said Supt. Ted Upshaw of Northeast Nova RCMP.
"Part of us investigating crime in that community, to stop retaliation and stop people from taking the law into their own hands, we need people to come and tell us, ‘It is this person that did this to me,’ rather than say, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it myself.’ "
Supt. Upshaw said the RCMP are building a duplex in Bay St. Lawrence to house two officers by November. That means the Mounties will no longer have to drive an hour from the Ingonish Beach detachment.
But more police presence isn’t the only answer, he said.
The RCMP will begin working to build trust among schoolchildren in hopes of ending the generations of fighting and vigilantism.
"We want to get into schools so the kids will have a better connection with us, so when they get home, it might change a little bit where they trust in us," Supt. Upshaw said. "We need individuals to trust us that we’ll do our jobs.
"And then we will hope that the court system will step in and do their part."
Drug use isn’t any more of a problem in northern Cape Breton than elsewhere in the province, he said.
Mounties were in the area Tuesday to interview potential witnesses to several crimes. But even victims are not co-operating, Supt. Upshaw said, even if they know their attackers.
"We need the information," he said. "We can drive by and you can see us, but what happens when we’re not there? It goes back to the trust thing.
"Some have to be able to come forward and let us do our jobs."
’Part of us investigating crime in that community, to stop retaliation and stop people from taking the law into their own hands, we need people to come and tell us.’
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| 07-20-2007, 8:58 PM |
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Father, uncle in 'honour killing' sentenced to life in prison in Britain
http://mikeoncrime.com/
Mike McIntyre is the justice reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.
He operates his own website, www.mikeoncrime.com, which is updated several times a day and features the latest in local, national and international crime and justice.
Father, uncle of Kurdish 'honour killing' victim sentenced to life in prison in Britain
2007 07 20
LONDON (AP) – The father and uncle of a woman who was brutally murdered for falling in love with the wrong man have been sentenced to life in prison today for ordering the killing.
The 2006 murder of 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod, who was strangled after two hours of torture and sexual abuse, was the latest in an increasing trend of so-called “honour killings” in Britain. The country is home to some 1.8 million Muslims.
Mahmod was a member of an Iraqi Kurd family that had emigrated to Britain in’98.
Her father, Mahmod Mahmod, and uncle Ari Mahmod, have been found guilty of ordering the killing.
A third man, who had pleaded guilty to taking part in the killing, was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison.
Mahmod’s family accused her of shaming them by ending an abusive arranged marriage, becoming too Westernized and falling in love with a man who did not come from their village. The elder Mahmods ordered the killing after discovering she was having a relationship with an Iranian Kurd.
“This was a barbaric and callous crime,” said Judge Brian Barker. “You are hard and unswerving men to whom apparently the respect from the community is more important that your own flesh and blood.”
The court had heard evidence from her boyfriend, Rahmat Sulemani, and her sister, Bekhal, | | |