Welcome to Canada folks! The land where you can pretty much commit any crime you like, and to get off, all you have to do is plead insanity. Yeesh.
I'd like to say this is an isolated incident but sadly things like this are happening more and more it seems. What's the latest? We have a man who went on rampage with a stolen snowplow, killing a police officer and now he walks away scott free.
On the morning of January 12, 2011, for whatever reason, Richard Kachkar decided to steal a snow plow and take recklessly to the streets of Toronto. He reportedly drove through the city core smashing into cars, and shattering the doors of a local vehicle dealership. Seeing what was happening a police officer trailed behind, likely trying to figure out a plan of action. Eventually he stopped the car and got out, apparently with gun and taser in hand. The snowplow, driven by Kachkar, did not stop, instead it drove straight towards the police cruiser, clipping its front end. The plow then straightened out and took aim at the police officer who started backing up to get out of the way.
The officer wasn't going to be so lucky. The edge of the plow hit his legs, spinning his body around and causing him to fall backwards. The plow then hit his head. A passing motorist testified that he saw no "apparent effort to change course from heading forward, with no sign of turning right or braking" as he watched the incident unfold.
"The snow plow is bearing down on the officer. I'm just holding my breath, hoping the officer gets away." He didn't get away. Instead he laid in a pool of blood and eventually succumbed to his injuries. How tragic.
Last week Kachkar was found not guilty. The court found him not criminally responsible for actions due to mental illness.
What kind of justice is this?
The defence argued Kachkar showed "classic signs of mental deterioration... he lived in a homeless shelter and had sought help for his "mental torment" the day before.
Well good for him for seeking mental help but the bottom line is, he took the life of an innocent man. I don't care what he was feeling or thinking on that day, he doesn't deserve to walk free.
Something is seriously wrong with a system that consistently allows things like this to happen.
