Advertisement 1

Man charged in downtown beating accused of similar attack in 2016 in Winnipeg

A 25-year-old man charged with attempted murder, uttering threats and breaching a court order after he allegedly pulled Robert Carignan, 57, from his wheelchair and beat him should have never been in Saskatoon, according to information from Manitoba Justice.

Article content

A 25-year-old man charged with attempted murder, uttering threats and breaching a court order after Robert Carignan, 57, was pulled from his wheelchair and beaten should have never been in Saskatoon, according to information from Manitoba Justice.

Justin James Crowe was charged after he was apprehended by police in Saskatoon’s downtown following Sunday’s alleged attack on Carignan at the intersection of 23rd Street and Spadina Crescent around 7:30 a.m.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

The attack, which family members called “unprovoked and extremely violent,” sent Carignan, who has a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness, to hospital with severe injuries.

Article content

On Tuesday, Winnipeg police confirmed Crowe was charged with a similar offence in connection with an incident on May 4, 2016 against a 63-year-old man who was beaten with a skateboard in a Winnipeg Transit bus shelter after he was asked to stop smoking.

On May 10, 2016, Winnipeg police arrested Crowe and charged him with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and three counts of failing to comply with a court order. Three days later, according to Manitoba Justice, he appeared in bail court and was released on numerous conditions, which included residing with an aunt in Deer Lake, Ont. He was ordered to remain there unless the court gave him permission to leave.

In September 2016, a Manitoba-wide warrant was issued for Crowe’s arrest on new charges; the warrant was executed on Nov. 12, 2016. That same day, Crowe was re-released on a promise to appear in court. After failing to show up for court in May, another arrest warrant was issued.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content
Robert Carignan was assaulted on July 23, 2017 in Saskatoon while along the riverbank with dog Molly.
Robert Carignan was assaulted on July 23, 2017 in Saskatoon while taking his dog Molly for some exercise. Photo by Facebook.com

Robert’s brother, Denis Carignan, said the existence of previous charges and an arrest warrant for Crowe “definitely raises questions for us about the administration of justice and the administration of public safety.”

“We do understand the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ but the fact that Mr. Crowe was charged with a previous aggravated assault tells us that the justice system had a chance to assess whether Mr. Crowe represented a risk to public safety but missed it,” Denis wrote in an emailed statement.

“Now the question to be answered is whether my brother’s assault could have been prevented? Who answers this question?”

He said other questions include why Crowe wasn’t monitored more closely if it was known he had violent tendencies, where he has been since his release, and whether there are other victims if he was able to travel to other cities.

“As a family, we are focusing on Robert’s healing and trying to remain objective as it is easy to draw conclusions from assumptions,” Denis wrote in the statement. “The fact that Robert is lying broken and bruised in hospital after being brutally assaulted for no reason challenges our objectivity.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“It seems that the system designed to protect us let him down. The question now is how many others has it let down? We hope that the policy-makers are asking themselves these questions as well.”

Under Section 11 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, citizens have a right not to be denied reasonable bail without just cause.

Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver said the city’s police service didn’t have “an extensive experience” with Crowe, noting the fact he’s been charged with a second alleged assault in another city is of “great concern.” The arrest brings with it “mixed feelings,” he said.

“We’re certainly feeling a little relief that he has been arrested and is in custody, but it’s coupled with the fact that it’s distressing to know that he (allegedly) injured someone else.”

Carver noted Crowe will likely have to answer to the charges in Winnipeg and will be transferred in custody for that purpose.

Saskatoon police spokeswoman Alyson Edwards said Winnipeg and Saskatoon police communicate through the Canadian Police Information Centre and it will be up to the courts if any consideration is given to previous, similar allegations against Crowe.

Crowe is set to appear in Saskatoon provincial court on Wednesday.

mmodjeski@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/MorganM_SP

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers