Not long after a 15-year-old from Brockville, Ont., was arrested and charged in connection to the death of a 33-year-old man, police in the eastern Ontario city are warning residents against violating a publication ban issued by the court.
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Ottawa criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt told CBC Radio’s Ontario Morning on Tuesday that one of the goals of these publication bans is to avoid undue prejudice against young offenders.
“We recognize that primarily for young people, the main goal is rehabilitation, and rehabilitation can be frustrated on a long-term basis if a youth’s name is printed on the internet, forever searchable,” he said.
It can also interfere with trials, Spratt said.
“You don’t want members of the community — especially members of the community who might someday end up on a jury hearing the case — to be prejudging things based on rumours and innuendo and perhaps facts that they’ve actually heard leading up to the trial.”
Read the full article: CBC News
