Jail assault on Garland draws ire of lawyer

‘Convicted or not, he’s entitled to protection’

CALGARY • A criminal defence lawyer who has raised concerns in the past about safety at a Calgary jail says people shouldn’t be happy that a convicted murderer in a high-profile case was beaten there.

“Convicted or not, he’s entitled to protection and basic human rights. Even if he didn’t show that to his victims,” said Balfour Der, who added some of his own clients have also been attacked at the jail and at other facilities.

Douglas Garland was sentenced on Friday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing Alvin and Kathy Liknes and five-yearold Nathan O’Brien in 2014.

Hours after the sentencing, Calgary police said a 57-year-old inmate at the Calgary Remand Centre suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital after being assaulted by several other inmates.

Garland’s lawyer, Kim Ross, has confirmed it was his client.

Some of the reaction on social media cheered on the attack, saying Garland deserved it.

“If there’s members of the public who think, yeah, that’s good, I’m glad this happened, or whatever they may think about it, they are absolutely, totally wrong,” Der said.

“It’s not what we should ever expect should happen in a Canadian jail.”

In September, Alvin Clifford Chiniquay, 40, died in hospital two weeks after a beating at the facility. An inmate has been charged with first-degree murder in the death.

Ross said Saturday that Garland was being held in an area that should have been safe and called the attack “disappointing,” noting that Garland had been in custody for over two years awaiting trial without an incident.

He said he believed Garland’s injuries were not serious.

Dan Laville, a spokesman for Alberta’s justice and solicitor general ministry, wouldn’t release the specific details of Garland’s custody at the facility, citing privacy concerns.

But Laville said that generally, placement decisions include an assessment that considers security needs and also involves collaboration with health professionals.

Laville said inmates go through a process to ensure those who are known to be incompatible are kept separate.

“Correctional centres can be a difficult, sometimes volatile environment, and correctional peace officers are trained professionals who both try to anticipate and prevent incidents when possible, and who react quickly and appropriately when an incident occurs,” Laville said in an email.