Arabnews24.ca:Friday 27 January 2023 07:13 PM: Two more teenagers, who each face a second-degree murder charge in connection with what police have called a "swarming" attack on Ken Lee in Toronto, were granted bail Friday.
Lee, a 59-year-old Toronto man, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was allegedly beaten and stabbed by a group of girls not far from a downtown shelter in the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2022.
Eight teenage girls — ranging in ages from 13 to 16 — have been charged in connection with the case. Their identities cannot be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
In court, a family member of one of the girls audibly gasped, while another wiped away tears as the bail decision was announced.
The girls will be released into the custody of their parents, and Justice Maria Sirivar issued a list of conditions, including that the girls not make contact with the co-accused. They are also banned from using mobile phones or social media, and must remain in Ontario and surrender their passports.
They are allowed to use the internet, but only for school work.
Bail hearings for most of the accused began at a Toronto courthouse this week.
One of the accused was already granted bail in December.
Typically, bail hearings fall under commonplace publication bans that are largely meant to protect the integrity of upcoming trials. At a bail hearing, lawyers can provide evidence in court that could later end up being shown at a trial as part of arguments as to why an accused person should or should not be granted bail.
If that evidence was published or broadcast at the outset, there is a possibility it could taint a prospective jury pool. Spectators in court — including journalists — are able to view that evidence as part of the bail hearing process, but cannot disseminate it until the publication ban drops (which, in the case of a jury trial, is often when jurors start deliberations unless a judge orders other conditions).
More to come.
