Author Archives: Damian P.

About Damian P.

Lawyer with Bedford Law, Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Rehtaeh Parsons: a thought experiment

Posted on April 29, 2013

Christie Blatchford’s controversial National Post column from last week purports to explain why prosecutors in Nova Scotia decided not to proceed with charges against the four boys who allegedly raped Rehtaeh Parsons.  According to anonymous sources (who, of course, could be … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Crime doesn’t pay. Criminals do.

Posted on April 23, 2013

So your income went down after you were convicted of a criminal offence, and now you can’t pay child support?  Too bad: When it comes to paying child support, courts won’t sympathize with parents who are the authors of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Support, Family Law | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Slandering the dead

Posted on April 18, 2013

It is understandable that friends and family members would instinctively rush to the defense of loved ones accused of a terrible crime.  And, of course, they’re innocent until proven guilty, and there may be details about the Rehtaeh Parsons case … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Media | 2 Comments

Remember Richard Jewell

Posted on April 16, 2013

In the wake of yesterday’s terrorist atrocity* in Boston, some words of caution from Popehat: A terrorist detonated a bomb at Atlanta’s Olympic Park, during the 1996 Olympic games. That terrorist was Eric Robert Rudolph, who pled guilty to the … Continue reading →

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Where is Andy’s Dad?

Posted on April 11, 2013

Heavy, dude: Between all the fun characters, the magical nature of the toys, and burning questions like “What is the sex like between Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?” it’s easy to forget that there are human characters in this movie. … Continue reading →

Posted in Divorce | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A voice of reason

Posted on April 10, 2013

Chris Selley in the National Post: As if contemplating a tormented child taking her own life isn’t horrible enough, we must now live with online blame-mobs grabbing hold of a narrative and demanding justice — and not necessarily in a courtroom. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rehtaeh Parsons: be outraged – but careful

Posted on April 10, 2013

A day after The Chronicle Herald‘s atom bomb of a story about Parsons, I’m still haunted by what happened to that poor girl – especially that her fellow classmates not only circulated photos of her alleged rape, they tormented her personally. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Steubenville, Nova Scotia

Posted on April 9, 2013

Today’s edition of The Chronicle Herald has a heartbreaking and shocking story about a young girl who took her own life after being raped and then relentlessly tormented by her peers. It reminds me of the infamous Steubenville, Ohio rape case … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The gangster state

Posted on April 5, 2013

With North Korea back in the news for nuclear-fueled temper tantrums again, NPR’s excellent Planet Money podcast has rebroadcast a 2011 program about how the hermit kingdom earns hard currency.   North Korea does some legitimate trade with China, supplies cheap … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The most accurate film title in history

Posted on April 4, 2013

A low-budget British movie called A Landscape of Lies was actually made as part of a tax scam: The criminals claimed they were making a £20m gangster film called A Landscape Of Lies so they could claim £1million in tax credits … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment