Getting away with murder

Justice denied, one more time.

A nineteen year old man will be going to prison for seven years for his part in the swarming death of Jomar Lanot outside a Vancouver high school in 2003 (check the Canadian Press article by Terri Theodore here).

Seven years hardly seems like a fair trade for a life brutally taken without the slightest provocation. But then, the man was found guilty of manslaughter, not murder - which implies that the killer had no intent to kill.

Jomar was chased down and beaten with a wooden bat, golf clubs and a cricket bat. Most of the improvised weapons landed on Jomar's head. After the deed was done, the culprits ran in an effort to escape justice, leaving their bleeding victim on the ground.

What intent other than murder could there have been?

The worst part, of course, is that at least two killers will be walking free for lack of evidence. Witnesses have recanted statements, presumably out of fear of reprisal by the thugs that carried out the crime. Charges have been withdrawn. As a further insult to justice, Vancouver's law-abiding citizenry will have no way of knowing the murderers in their midst; their identities are protected by our youth justice rules.

If we needed another example to support Stephen Harper's get-tough-on-crime agenda, this is certainly it. The sad thing is, we didn't.

tags: youth crime, youth justice system, swarming death, Jomar Lanot, random violence, justice denied