Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. Sentenced a 13-year-old girl

17 Sep, 2024

In a significant courtroom decision, a 13-year-old girl charged in the 2022 swarming death of a homeless man in Toronto has avoided further jail time. Sentenced on Monday, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will serve 15 months' probation after spending an equivalent duration in custody. The girl, who was 13 at the time of the crime, is the first of the group to be sentenced. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and cannot be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. Police say the group of girls, aged 13 to 16 at the time, attacked 59-year-old Kenneth Lee, a homeless man, in downtown Toronto in late 2022, swarming and stabbing him to death. In determining her sentence, the judge considered the fact that she had been kept for 93 days in jail-like "closed custody" contrary to the judge's order and had been repeatedly strip-searched contrary to regulations. "The judge obviously believes she has good potential and that the risk of her re-offending is very, very low."