[URBAN NOTE] On the defense of James Forcillo against imprisonment made by his wife

[rfmcdonald]

I understand this argument coming from Forcillo's wife. It's really only when it comes from other people--the police, say--that I get upset. The National Post carries Diane Mehta's Canadian Press article on the subject.

The wife of a Toronto police officer found guilty of attempted murder in the shooting death of a troubled teen says her husband doesn’t deserve to go to jail because he isn’t a risk to society.

Irina Forcillo has made her plea to Justice Edward Then in a letter submitted as part of Const. James Forcillo’s sentencing hearing, which is to hear lawyers from Crown and defence lawyers on Wednesday.

“I do not see how James can ever be in jail. He is not a danger to the public, I assure you of that!” the mother of two wrote. “In fact, he is the one whose purpose has always been to protect.”

[. . .]

Forcillo’s lawyers have since filed a constitutional challenge to the mandatory minimum sentence of four or five years the officer faces, asking a court to consider a sentence of house arrest for the man rather than time in prison.

[. . .]

They argue that Forcillo was duty-bound to protect the public from a knife-wielding Yatim, trained to draw his gun and had been found to be justified in killing Yatim.