Romeo Phillion

Romeo Phillion was convicted of the 1967 murder of Ottawa firefighter Leopold Roy, after making a confession to police which he recanted two hours later. He spent 31 years in prison and five years on parole. The case was reopened in 2006, and in March 2009, the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned his 1972 murder conviction and granted him a new trial, in part because a 1968 police report establishing a clear alibi for Phillion had not been turned over to his defence lawyer in his original trial. He was assisted by the Innocence Project and had his conviction overturned by lawyer James Lockyer, a director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. On 29 April 2010, crown prosecutors withdrew the murder charge against him.[1]

In August 2006, Minister of Justice Vic Toews referred two questions about the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal:[2]

  • Would the new information concerning the non-disclosure of certain material be admissible on appeal to the Court of Appeal?
  • Are the recent expert reports on the reliability of Mr. Phillion’s confession admissible on appeal to the Court of Appeal?

In 2012, Romeo Phillion launched a $14 million lawsuit against the Ontario government.[3]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Phillion murder charge dropped". CBC News. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report 2008 Minister of Justice". Criminal Conviction Review. Department of Justice. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  3. ↑ "Romeo Phillion: Wrongfully convicted Mississauga man launches $14-million lawsuit against Ontario government". Toronto Star. 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-05-10.

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