Honour the judge

Re: “Revolting” and “Not premeditated?,” Letters, Sept. 25.

A number of letter writers have been critical of the recent decision by Justice Beth Hughes in the “Morbank murder” case (R. v. Karim and Deer).

As a justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench cannot respond to such criticism, it behooves members of the legal community to do so.

Justice Hughes had a long, distinguished career as a crown prosecutor. As such, she is intimately familiar with the legal requirements for a conviction of murder or manslaughter.

She has been a justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench for more than a decade. I appreciate the fact that the letter writers were friends of the deceased, Jack Beauchamp, and are disappointed by the decision in the case, but our system of justice is based on sound principles of law and evidence. It is not based on emotion, desire for revenge, or how much the deceased’s loved ones miss him.

I am completely confident that Her Ladyship listened carefully to the evidence and legal arguments, and came to a sound legal conclusion.

This is not to say that a decision is immune to appeal, but it does deserve more respect than an emotional dismissal by friends of the victim, and certainly Justice Hughes does not deserve attacks upon her approach to the case.

Philip E. Carr, Calgary Philip Carr is a lawyer and does

not know Justice Hughes.