ACCUSED KILLER WAS FREED AFTER BEATING DANGEROUS-OFFENDER RAP

Mohamad S. Barkhadle looked confused Thursday as he appeared in an Ottawa court on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of the mother whose toddler son spent 10 days fending for himself after her death.

Barkhadle, 31, winced and shook his head repeatedly as the charge was read. At one point, the justice of the peace told him to pay attention.

But this wasn’t Barkhadle’s first trip through the Elgin Street courthouse. In fact, he was last set free on Oct. 26 after Justice Heather Perkins-McVey denied a Crown application to brand Barkhadle a dangerous offender, which would have kept him behind bars for an indeterminate sentence. The Crown also brought an application to designate Barkhadle a long-term offender, which would have come with strict supervision once he was released into the community. Perkins-McVey also denied that application.

Instead, the judge set Barkhadle free after giving him one and a half times credit for the time spent in pre-trial custody at the Innes Road jail. The judge said that conditions at the jail were “difficult” and noted that there were no rehab programs available for the addict there.

Before setting him free in October, the judge said: “Hopefully this has been a wake-up call to Mr. Barkhadle, as he will be closely monitored in future.”

Months later, in May, Barkhadle was again arrested for more serious crimes, including charges of attempted murder for allegedly choking another woman. In that alleged attack, Barkhadle was also charged with aggravated sexual assault, forcible confinement, overcoming resistance by choking, uttering threats, breach of probation and failure to report as required.

Those crimes are alleged to have happened months after police now Barkhadle killed the mother in March.

There is a publication ban on the victim’s name and the accused killer’s lawyer, Diane Condo, declined to comment on the case.

Condo, the defence lawyer who successfully spared Barkhadle a dangerous offender label back in October, is again representing the now-accused killer.

Barkhadle has been on the police radar for awhile. In 2012, police issued an arrest warrant for him and circulated his picture to the public as they hunted for a suspect who had choked a woman during a robbery. The police have also told the press that they fear there may be more victims.

In 2010, Barkhadle was arrested and charged with pimping a 17-yearold girl. He was charged with procuring, living off the avails of prostitution, living off the avails of a juvenile prostitute using violence and breach of probation.

In another set of charges in 2011, Barkhadle was sentenced to seven months in jail for what a judge described as “morally reprehensible” crimes. Barkhadle, who was 25 at the time, was found guilty of possession of a dangerous weapon, criminal harassment and breach of probation but acquitted of intimidation and extortion.