National

BC Appeal Court Upholds Dangerous Offender Status For Sexually Predator Kolten Mastronardi

The Canadian Press, 28 Jul, 2015 11:51 AM

VANCOUVER — A man who posed as a gynecologist and convinced one of his victims to tattoo his name across her chest has lost an appeal of his dangerous offender status.

Kolten Mastronardi was declared a dangerous offender in 2012 and given an indeterminate sentence after being found guilty on 12 counts of sexual assault, as well as other charges related to assault, threats, fraud and extortion.

Mastronardi appealed the designation, arguing the judge should not have appointed his former defence lawyer to help him through the dangerous offender trial.

Three B.C. Court of Appeal judges unanimously ruled in a decision released Monday that there was no miscarriage of justice or error in Mastronardi's dangerous offender trial.

Justice Pamela Kirkpatrick said in the written ruling that Mastronardi is a highly manipulative offender who was determined to derail the trial by repeatedly firing his lawyers, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer who he could not fire in order to protect the legal process.

Kirkpatrick said that the outcome of Mastronardi's dangerous offender trial would likely not have been different if another lawyer had been appointed to help him.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Newspaper Apologizes For Involving Liberal Joyce Murray In Controversy Over Ad

Liberal MP Joyce Murray is apologizing for a newspaper advertisement in which she appears to be feeding racial stereotypes about aboriginal people.

Newspaper Apologizes For Involving Liberal Joyce Murray In Controversy Over Ad

B.C. Health Firings Prompt Legal Changes To Pave Way For Investigation

VICTORIA — British Columbia's ongoing health firings scandal is about to share the stage with the Liberal government's vaunted liquefied natural gas project law.

B.C. Health Firings Prompt Legal Changes To Pave Way For Investigation

Indian-American Hotelier And Former Banker Admits To Defrauding Investor Of $500,000

A hotelier and former banker of Indian origin has admitted in a federal court to defrauding an investor of $500,000 and now faces a prison sentence, according to a federal prosecutor in Tennessee.

Indian-American Hotelier And Former Banker Admits To Defrauding Investor Of $500,000

Big Banks Pass On Part Of Bank Of Canada Rate Cut, Prime Rate Reduced To 2.70%

OTTAWA — Less than 24 hours after the Bank of Canada cuts its key interest rate, Canada's big banks have partially followed suit.

Big Banks Pass On Part Of Bank Of Canada Rate Cut, Prime Rate Reduced To 2.70%

Restaurants Consider Raising Menu Prices To Keep Up With Soaring Cost Of Food

Quarterly figures from Restaurants Canada suggests that 65 per cent of the country's eateries report their food budgets are higher than they were at the same time last year.

Restaurants Consider Raising Menu Prices To Keep Up With Soaring Cost Of Food

'Millions Of Koreans Trace Origins To India'

Millions of Koreans trace their origins to Suriratna, a princess from Ayodhya who had married the Korean king Kim Suro, a diplomat from the country saus, adding that a memorial to the princess would soon be upgraded.