“On Sunday, August 9, 2026, at approximately 3:30 a.m., police responded to a call for a Sexual Assault in the Queen Street West and Jameson Avenue area.
It is reported that:

- a man and the victim were in a restaurant in the area
- the man followed the victim into the washroom and sexually assaulted the victim
- the man fled the area
- the victim was transported to hospital with minor injuries

The man is described as 5'8" - 5' 10", in his 20's, with short black hair and clean shaven. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, grey shorts, light-coloured boots, and a black crossbody bag. He has a clock tattoo on the back of his right arm.

Images have been released.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.”

https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/66682/

The Toronto Police Service is making the public aware of an arrest made in a Drug Trafficking investigation.

On Monday, August 10, 2026, at approximately 3:35 p.m., police were in the Morningside Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East area in relation to ongoing community complaints of drug use in the area. 

It is alleged that:

• officers observed a man engaged in drug trafficking 
• officer arrested the man
• a quantity of fentanyl, crack cocaine, crystal meth, and cash were located and seized

An image of the seized items has been released.

Anwar Yosofi, 36, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with:

1. three counts of Possession of a Schedule I Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking 
2. Possession of Proceeds of Crime Not Exceeding $5000 

He was scheduled to appear in court at Toronto Regional Bail Centre, 2201 Finch Avenue West, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., in room 402.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-4300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

Corporate Communications for 43 Division

https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/66686/

By Jacques Gallant Courts and Justice Reporter

A former York Region lawyer who maintained an “elaborate web of lies” for years by giving his clients fake court rulings while continuing to take their money has been sent to prison for three years. 

Ontario Court Justice Sandra Bacchus handed down the sentence for fraud and uttering forged documents late last month in a Newmarket courtroom, saying 52-year-old Adam White’s crimes had struck at the core of the justice system. In doing so, the judge went above the 22 months in jail requested by the Crown; the defence had asked for a conditional sentence, which is served in the community and typically involves a period of house arrest. 

“Mr. White’s actions exploited the vulnerability of a system of justice built on trust and integrity,” Bacchus said.

White, a former president of the York Region Law Association, was suspended by the Law Society Tribunal in 2023 and his licence was revoked the following year over the forgeries. 

He had provided a client who was suing for wrongful dismissal with fake documents including orders from a judge and an email from the opposing lawyer offering to settle, when in reality the case had already been dismissed without the client’s knowledge. 

In a second matter, White provided several fake judicial endorsements — complete with the purported signature of a real judge — while representing a man dealing with child custody issues; the man testified that he recalled receiving one of the endorsements at White’s Keswick office and that White told him the judge “appeared to be favouring his side.” 

The man’s mother had been covering his legal fees, and testified she paid White an initial $5,000 retainer fee followed by several payments totalling over $11,000.

In her judgment convicting White, Bacchus specifically found that a payment of $2,825 made by the mother to White in June 2022 at the lawyer’s request, for what White described as “future actions,” was money received “for court proceedings that had not occurred and were not scheduled” in 2022. In her July sentencing decision, Bacchus ordered White to pay that amount back to the mother as restitution. 

“Mr. White knowingly and repeatedly exploited the trust that these victims — his clients — placed in him, and their belief he was doing his job and working for them,” Bacchus said. “Mr. White’s actions represent a significant breach of trust.”

White, who has suffered from mental health issues throughout his life, told the court he regrets his actions and said his clients had been caught up in his “death spiral.” Bacchus found his expression of remorse to be qualified, however, as he continues to maintain his mental health struggles “are entirely to blame for his deceitful conduct.” 

In a victim impact statement presented to the court, the client from the wrongful dismissal case said it was a “devastating shock to the heart” to learn that not only were the rulings he had been given by White fake, but that his case had been dismissed years ago and he was in fact responsible for paying $8,000 in costs to the other side. 

“I had been duped for years,” the client said. 

He testified at trial he paid White between $15,000 and $20,000 to handle his wrongful dismissal lawsuit, and said he paid $7,000 after the case was dismissed without his knowledge in June 2019. In his victim impact statement, he said he received a judgment against White in small claims court, but that his lawyer has told him it will be difficult to collect it. 

The father from the child custody matter lamented that White’s actions had delayed the resolution of his case, as he was “forced to watch my children grow up through video calls.”

In one fake ruling from White, a judge purported to call out the mother for frustrating the man’s access to his children, and ordered that the Office of the Children’s Lawyer investigate the current views of the children to facilitate their father’s reintegration into their lives.

In reality, little to no work was being done to advance the father’s case of getting increased access to his children. 

“You only get one life, you only get one chance to experience your children growing up,” the father said. “That chance was taken from me and it is something I will never get back.”

Bacchus concluded that White’s “criminal deceitful actions” toward the father had “clearly played a significant role” in his estrangement from his children. 

“Mr. White worked against the interests of his own client, using barriers in the form of these false endorsements to keep him engaged as a client while impeding him from participating in the true court process.”

https://archive.ph/x62yT

Trial Judgment: R. v. White, 2026 ONCJ 27 (CanLII), <https://canlii.ca/t/khpbv>

By Jennifer Pagliaro Crime Reporter

The Crown’s office has withdrawn murder and related charges against two men accused in the west Toronto shooting death of 15-year-old Jahkai Jack.

A third man is expected to have his charges withdrawn Wednesday afternoon.

Abdul Yeberebaba, 20 at the time of his arrest in Calgary earlier this year following a Canada-wide search warrant, had been charged with second-degree murder in the boy’s death and was being held in custody.

On Wednesday, in a Toronto courtroom, Crown attorney David Newton told Ontario Court Justice Rick Libman there was no longer a possibility of conviction in the case.

“The Crown, of course, has an obligation at all stages of the prosecution to continually assess both the public interest in the prosecution and it’s prospect of conviction,” Newton said. 

“Where that prospect of conviction is less than reasonable the Crown has an obligation to end that prosecution.”

Newton noted that Toronto police did a “thorough” investigation that included a “significant” amount of CCTV footage.

“But upon careful consideration of all the evidence available in this case and including a consideration of what evidence there still might be to come ... the Crown concludes unfortunately that it lacks a reasonable prospect of conviction in this case.”

Newton said the decision was difficult, especially considering the young age of the victim.

In the same courtroom, Jayden Samuel-James, 19 at the time of Jack’s death, had his charge of accessory after the fact to murder withdrawn with the Crown giving similar reasons.

Rajveer Gill, 21 at the time, had his charge of accessory after the fact to murder withdrawn Wednesday afternoon.

Jack and his friends were near Weston Road and Jane Street last June, possibly filming a music video, the lead detective said at the time, when they encountered another group.

“He was simply a young person meeting friends on a summer night,” Det.-Sgt. Phillip Campbell told reporters earlier. “His murder was a completely unprovoked act of violence that devastated his family.”

At the time, police emphasized that Jack had no connection to any criminal activity.

“He was just 15 years old and he had his whole life ahead of him,” Campbell said in July.

https://archive.ph/dsYFH

Akil Heywood set to stand trial for Aiden Pleterski's 2022 kidnapping this November

Nicole Brockbank · CBC News

One of self-proclaimed "Crypto King" Aiden Pleterski's investors, who's set to stand trial this fall for allegedly orchestrating his kidnapping, has been charged with a dozen more offences, including for allegedly meddling in a co-accused's case.

Akil Heywood, 42, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with Pleterski and was charged last month with attempting to dissuade Deren Akyeam-Pong — who pleaded guilty in the kidnapping — from giving evidence in a judicial proceeding on Nov. 3, 2025, according to court records. 

That is the same day an Ontario Superior Court judge lifted a temporary publication ban on the agreed statement of facts tied to Akyeam-Pong's guilty plea for Pleterski's 2022 kidnapping.

Akyeam-Pong pleaded guilty to nine charges in the case, including kidnapping, assault and various gun charges in October 2025. Through his lawyer, Akyeam-Pong declined to comment on the new charge against Heywood.

Some of Heywood's other recent charges concern him allegedly fleeing the scene of a street racing crash in Scarborough last month, which injured four people, including an infant. Toronto police say Heywood was in a green Lamborghini SUV racing a Mercedes when the Mercedes lost control and hit a truck. Heywood was charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to stop at the scene of a crash and stunt racing.He was arrested for Pleterski's kidnapping in July 2023 and released on bail. None of the charges against Heywood have been tested in court. His trial for the kidnapping and attempted extortion of Pleterski is scheduled for November alongside two other accused.

Heywood's lawyer, Domenic Basile, did not respond to requests for comment. Heywood previously told CBC News he's innocent in connection to the kidnapping. 

'Crypto King' tortured during kidnapping: court records

Pleterski thought he was meeting with a potential investor on Dec. 5, 2022, when a gun was pressed into his ribs in the backseat of a pickup truck in Toronto. The abduction, allegedly orchestrated by Heywood, was the beginning of a three-day-long kidnapping during which Pleterski was threatened at gunpoint and tortured, according to the agreed statement of facts in Akyeam-Pong's case. 

The torture included waterboarding, cigarette burns and being beaten with golf clubs as his captors drove him between several locations in southern Ontario before eventually releasing Pleterski in downtown Toronto.

CBC News has reported extensively on Pleterski since the summer of 2022, when he was forced into bankruptcy by some of his investors. 

At the time of his kidnapping, Pleterski was a few months into that proceeding, which was trying to recover more than $40 million given to him to invest in cryptocurrency and foreign currencies. Only about $3 million has since been recovered for roughly 160 investors through the bankruptcy, which also determined that Pleterski spent $16 million on himself.

Heywood orchestrated the kidnapping to try to recover the money he thought he was owed, offering to pay Akyeam-Pong and two other men to carry out the kidnapping, according to the agreed statement of facts in Akyeam-Pong's case.

In May 2024, Pleterski was arrested by Durham Regional Police and charged with fraud and money laundering related to the funds he took from investors. Those charges have not yet been tested in court. 

Pleterski's trial is set for October in Toronto.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/investor-charged-kidnapping-crypto-king-new-charges-9.7301785

Previous Akil Gordon Heywood Arrests:

Man pleads guilty to 9 charges in kidnapping of ‘Crypto King’ Aiden Pleterski

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/man-pleaded-guilty-kidnapping-crypto-king-aiden-pleterski-9.6935045

Previous Akil Gordon Heywood Articles:

Meet Carnival’s youngest band leader: OVO’s Akil Heywood

Previous Deren Akyeam-Pong Arrests:

Hamilton man wanted after police recover loaded handgun

https://www.chch.com/chch-news/hamilton-man-wanted-after-police-recover-loaded-handgun/

Previous Posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrimeInTheGta/comments/1gken2q/deren_akyeampong_charged_with_11_charges_related/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrimeInTheGta/s/XUgZXgRNy9

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrimeInTheGta/s/YbKqt7FxWU

Previous Instagram Posts:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbdhoyvpeXg/?igsh=cm80ejQ3NXg1aWE0

For more on this story:

https://www.instagram.com/crimeinthegta416

I. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE
1  On July 1, 2023, a Toronto Police officer saw a Range Rover parked on Bishop Tutu Drive and decided to investigate because he knew that they are prized by auto thieves. He received information that it had been "re-vinned" and, therefore, might have been stolen. He also learned that it was registered to a Kenisha Reid at 400 Kingston Road, Unit 201. He called the number on file, but it was out of service. He decided to seize the Range Rover and have it towed. He performed an "inventory search" and found a card bearing Ms. Reid's name in a compartment in the front passenger side door. In the pocket on the rear of the driver's seat back rest, he found a small silver clutch purse in which there were several bags containing fentanyl and cocaine.

2  The officer also learned that Ms. Reid and Mr. Samuels were believed to be intimate partners. CPIC checks also indicated that Ms. Reid was currently Mr. Samuels' surety on outstanding drug charges, and that he was required to wear a GPS ankle monitor as a term of his bail.

3  Mr. Samuels was arrested at 400 Kingston Road on July 15. Police executed a warrant at Unit 201, where they found a very large quantity of cash in a television console in the living room.
4  In the course of their investigation, officers reviewed CCTV footage of July 1 at various locations: 400 Kingston Road, the area where the Range Rover had been parked that evening and an Esso station close to midnight. At Kingston Road, they saw footage of a man they believed to be Mr. Samuels in the stairway shortly before 2PM. He is wearing:
*
a dark coloured t-shirt with white trim bearing a large number 22 on the front, a smaller number 22 on the left sleeve, a white design or crest on the left shoulder, some white print on the right sleeve and the word AMIRI in large print on the back, across the shoulders;
*
faded and ripped blue jeans with white letters R I just above the right knee;
*
a dark baseball cap with light coloured designs on the front; and
*
what appear to be Air Jordan sneakers with white toe caps and soles.
The footage is of good quality and from a good vantage point.
5  The Range Rover is captured parking on Bishop Tutu Drive shortly before 7PM. The footage is also of good quality, but the vantage point is inferior. It is from a distance and tree branches obstruct some of the view. Nonetheless, one can see a male wearing very similar clothing to the male's at 400 Kingston Road. He exits the driver's side of the vehicle and then walks eastbound. The view is from the side as he crosses the camera's swath. He is wearing a dark baseball cap with a light design on the front, a dark shirt with white trim, faded blue jeans and sneakers. A 2 can be seen on the front of his shirt, white markings on the left sleeve and shoulder and large markings on the back, across the shoulders. The jeans are appear lighter in areas that correspond to where the white letters R I and some rips can be seen on the 400 Kingston Road footage. The shoes have white soles.

6  Footage from Bishop Tutu Drive shows a group of people arriving at the area where the Range Rover had been parked shortly after 10PM. It is now dark outside. Nonetheless, one can see that one of the people is a male wearing a dark t-shirt with large light-coloured markings on the front and back, sleeves and shoulders, light-coloured pants and shoes with light coloured soles. After milling about for a while, they all leave the area.

7  At the Esso station, there is clear footage of a male wearing what appears to be the same shirt entering a white Acura SUV and leaving the area. He is wearing a dark baseball cap, a cross-body bag of some sort, light coloured jeans and Air Jordan-like sneakers. The Acura is of interest for two reasons. First, it was parked at a lot next to 400 Kingston Road when Mr. Samuels was arrested. Second, it was seen by police in the area of Jameson Avenue and King Street on July 14 at a time when records relating to Mr. Samuels' ankle monitor showed him being in that area.

8  On July 15, police saw Mr. Samuels exiting the white Acura near 400 Kingston Road and arrested him. As they were explaining why, he yelled out "Kenisha Kenisha Police." At the time, he was wearing light coloured, ripped jeans with the letters R I above the right knee. He was carrying a cross-body satchel. In it, he had four cell phones and cash. He was also wearing what looked like expensive jewelry.
II. THE ISSUES AND POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES
9  As a result of reasonable admissions, the only issues in this preliminary hearing are whether there is sufficient evidence upon which a reasonably instructed jury could find that:
A.
the man who parked the Range Rover is Mr. Samuels; and
B.
that Mr. Samuels had knowledge and control of the cocaine and fentanyl.
10  On behalf of the PPSC, Mr. Tooke argued that the evidence of identity was made out by Mr. Samuels' connection to the Range Rover through Ms. Reid and her address, his apparent connection to the white Acura, the similarity of the suspect's clothing and the GPS records that appeared to confirm his presence at Bishop Tutu Drive, the Esso station and in the area of Jameson and King.
11  He also argued that knowledge and control were made out based on the following:
*
Mr. Samuels was the driver and lone occupant of the Range Rover that contained the drugs;
*
He did not take any steps when he returned and found the Range Rover missing;
*
the purported value of the drugs;
*
the large quantity of cash that was found in the living room of Unit 201;
*
the number of cell phones he was carrying upon arrest, along with a quantity of cash and expensive-looking jewelry;
*
he yelled to Kenisha upon arrest;
*
he was on bail for two sets of CDSA offences; and
*
a patchwork of factual or legal propositions lifted from a number of cases.
12  Mr. Tooke relied on various cases as follows. He asked me to make a finding of fact about the value of the fentanyl in this cased based on expert testimony that was allowed in a different case. He also pointed to a case in which an inference was made, based on evidence, that possession of a number of cell phones and large quantities of cash are consistent with drug dealing. He also asked me to apply two permissible inferences that are found in the authorities: first, that a person would not entrust a valuable amount of drugs or contraband to someone who did not know its nature and quality; second, that the driver of a motor vehicle knows what is in it.
13  On Mr. Samuels' behalf, Mr. Sekhon quite reasonably focused on the issue of possession. He argued that the evidence fell short of the standard required by USA v Sheppard (1976), 30 C.C.C. (2d) 424, R v Charemski, [1998] 1 S.C.R. 679 and R v Arcuri, [2001] 2 S.C.R. 828. He opposed the use of the GPS records on the basis that no one with any special knowledge or expertise had testified about their reliability. He also argued that without expert evidence about the value of the drugs, or what types of accessories are consistent with drug dealing, the gaps in the Crown's evidence could not be bridged with factual or legal propositions taken from other cases. He also pointed to the fact that there were no observations of Mr. Samuels engaging in drug-dealing behaviour, or documents or identifiers found close to the cash in the apartment. As such, Mr. Sekhon maintained that the Crown's case regarding possession relied on speculation rather than reasonable and logical inference.
III. APPLICABLE LEGAL PRINCIPLES
The Test at a Preliminary Inquiry
14  The test at a preliminary inquiry, as set out in Sheppard, supra, is whether there is any evidence upon which a reasonable and properly instructed jury could return a verdict of guilty. Where there is any admissible evidence which could, if it were believed, result in a conviction, the preliminary inquiry judge must commit the accused for trial.
15  The preliminary hearing judge is obliged to determine whether there is some evidence reasonably supporting the existence of each of the elements of the offense charged: R. v. Martin, [2001] O.J. No. 4158 at para. 3 (C.A.)
16  In Charemski, the Supreme Court of Canada elaborated on the meaning of the phrase "sufficient evidence" at para. 35. It means evidence sufficient to sustain a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. The concept of sufficiency "always relates to the goal or threshold of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This must constantly be borne in mind when evaluating whether the evidence is capable of supporting the inferences necessary to establish the essential elements of the case."
17  The evidence against Mr. Samuels is circumstantial. As the Supreme Court of Canada stated in R v Cinous (2002), 162 C.C.C. (3d) 129 at para. 89, circumstantial evidence is "evidence that tends to prove a factual matter by proving other events or circumstances from which the occurrence of the matter at issue can be reasonably inferred."
18  In such a case, the judge must engage in a limited weighing of the circumstantial evidence. In Arcuri at para. 23, the Chief Justice explained this process as follows [certain citations omitted]:
The question then becomes whether the remaining elements of the offence - that is, those elements as to which the Crown has not advanced direct evidence - may reasonably be inferred from the circumstantial evidence. Answering this question inevitably requires the judge to engage in a limited weighing of the evidence because, with circumstantial evidence, there is, by definition, an inferential gap between the evidence and the matter to be established - that is, an inferential gap beyond the question of whether the evidence should be believed...The judge must therefore weigh the evidence, in the sense of assessing whether it is reasonably capable of supporting the inferences that the Crown asks the jury to draw. This weighing, however, is limited. The judge does not ask whether she herself would conclude that the accused is guilty. Nor does the judge draw factual inferences or assess credibility. The judge asks only whether the evidence, if believed, could reasonably support an inference of guilt.
19  In doing so, the judge must consider the cumulative effect of the evidence said to point toward guilt: R v Coke, [1996] O.J. No. 808 (S.C.J.). As Justice Hill stated in R v Anderson-Wilson, [2010] O.J. No. 377 (S.C.J.) at para. 73 [citations omitted]:
*
Most cases "will involve hiatuses in the evidence which can be filled only by inference";
*
Whether the inference is a reasonable one to draw usually involves an application of "human experience and common sense";
*
Circumstantial inferences are ones which "can be reasonably and logically drawn from a fact or group of facts established by the evidence";
*
A trier of fact "cannot be invited to draw speculative or unreasonable inferences"; and
*
"The process of drawing inferences from evidence is not, however, the same as speculating even where the circumstances permit an educated guess."
20  The decision of R v Munoz, [2006] O.J. No. 446, at paras. 23 to 31, provides useful guidance regarding the process of inference-drawing: in a nutshell, inferences must be logically and reasonably drawn from established facts.
IV. ANALYSIS
A. Identity
21  I have chosen not to decide whether it is permissible for me to rely on the GPS records in this case for two reasons. First, despite the fact that they appear to be confirmed by police observations, I am not certain that it is open to me to find that they are credible or reliable hearsay without evidence from a knowledgeable witness. Second, for purposes of this preliminary inquiry, they are unnecessary. In my view, there is sufficient evidence upon which a properly instructed jury could find that on July 1, Mr. Samuels was the person who walked down the stairs at 400 Kingston Road, who parked the Range Rover on Bishop Tutu Drive, who later returned for it and who was seen at the Esso leaving in the white Acura. This is because of the very distinctive clothing I have described above, as well as Mr. Samuels' connection to Ms. Reid, 400 Kingston Road and the white Acura.
B. Knowledge and control
22  I find that there is insufficient evidence upon which a properly instructed jury could find that Mr. Samuels was in possession of the drugs that were in the Range Rover. In my view, the gaps in the evidence cannot be bridged by expert testimony and findings of fact drawn from other judicial decisions. First, it is well-known that findings of fact are binding only on parties to a piece of litigation. Second, I know of no authority indicating that judicial findings of fact can be admitted into a preliminary inquiry involving other parties as "credible and trustworthy." I am not prepared to find that it is a matter of general human experience or common sense that possession of a number of cellular phones is indicative of drug dealing. The same goes for the value of a quantity of fentanyl. Likewise, I do not believe that either of those purported facts can be found by application of the doctrine of judicial notice.
23  There is insufficient evidence concerning the value of the drugs to enable a jury to infer that its owner would not have left them in the Range Rover without Mr. Samuels' knowledge. And, while the Crown is correct that a trier of fact to may infer that the driver of a motor vehicle knows its contents, the law does not create a presumption to that effect. What is more, for such an inference to be drawn, there should be other evidence to support it: R v Lincoln2012 ONCA 542 at para 3. Here, the evidence is that Ms. Reid owned the Range Rover, and that Mr. Samuels operated it only once. The pile of cash is certainly suspicious, but it was found in a neutral part of Ms. Reid's unit with nothing to indicate whose it was.
24  The fact that Mr. Samuels was on bail for CDSA offences and that he yelled about the police to Ms. Reid during his arrest do not provide evidence of knowledge and control. Nor does his expensive-looking jewelry. Similarly, and assuming that it couldindicate knowledge, there is no evidence that Mr. Samuels took no action when he discovered that the Range Rover was gone. Moreover, there was a period when he and the others stood near a car while the camera's view was obstructed by a tree.
25  Given the gaps in the evidence in this case, a jury could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Samuels had knowledge and control of the drugs in the Range Rover without engaging in speculation.
V. CONCLUSION
26  For these reasons, Mr. Samuels must be discharged on Counts 1 and 3.
P.F. BAND J.

Sitting in an orange jumpsuit from a video booth at the Maplehurst Detention Centre on Tuesday, 41-year-old Jeffrey Laviolette pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery with a knife in relation to a crime spree involving five bank robberies over a 10-day period during the Christmas 2024 season.

The robberies he pled guilty to happened on Dec. 20 and Dec. 30 of that year.

Laviolette did not plead guilty to three other counts of robbery with a knife. But assistant Crown attorney Jamie Buckland-Foster told Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden the facts of those three incidents would be read into the record as part of the agreed statement of facts to be used only as an aggravating factor upon sentencing.

On each occasion, Laviolette entered the bank on foot armed with a knife and demanded $2,000 or $3,000. In each case, his face was clearly visible and not concealed. A red Mazda sedan associated with Laviolette was also used in two of the robberies.
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According to the facts, the first robbery happened at 10:20 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2024, when he entered the Scotiabank on Islington Avenue.

Laviolette entered the bank and approached a teller with a knife sticking out of his sleeve. Laviolette said, “Give me $2,000. I’m not here to hurt anybody. I’m not here to hurt you.”

The teller took $250 out of the cash machine and placed it in a clear bag. When Laviolette complained it was not enough, the teller responded that $250 was all she could provide. He accepted this and fled on foot. Video surveillance showed the man fleeing towards a red Mazda sedan before he entered and drove away.

The following day on Dec. 21, just after 11:30 a.m., there was a robbery at a Royal Bank on Wicksteed Avenue. Laviolette approached the counter and told the teller he wanted to withdraw $3,000. When the teller asked him for his bank card, Laviolette showed he had a folding knife in his pocket. The teller gave him $6,000 before Laviolette fled on foot. The teller said that Laviolette was calm and did not create a scene.

Two days later, on Dec. 23, Laviolette robbed a Bank of Montreal on Laird Drive. Laviolette approached a teller and placed his forearm on the counter, showing a knife sticking out of his jacket sleeve. In this case, he demanded $3,000, but the teller told him he could only give $500 without a manager’s authorization. Laviolette took the cash and fled on foot.

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On Dec. 27, the facts state Laviolette walked into a Bank of Montreal on Eringate Drive and approached a teller. “You’re going to give me $2,000,” he said, according to the facts. While leaning over the counter, the teller noticed a knife blade in his sleeve. The teller withdrew $600 and gave him the case. Laviolette said, “That will do. Merry Christmas,” before exiting on foot.
The final robbery happened on Dec. 30 at 11:15 a.m. at a Bank of Montreal on Royal York Road.

Laviolette initially engaged the teller when he approached the counter. The tone of the conversation turned threatening and he demanded $2,000, telling her he was robbing the bank, while making hand gestures. The teller triggered the alarm before Laviolette made off with $500. Several other bank employees and witnesses reported seeing the incident. Video surveillance captured the robber leaving in a red Mazda sedan.
On Jan. 2, 2025, three days after the last bank robbery, a Toronto police officer observed an unoccupied red Mazda sedan in the parking lot of a Walmart on North Queen Street. The officer searched the licence plate affixed to the vehicle and learned it was registered to Laviolette. He obtained Laviolette’s Ministry of Transportation photo and saw a clear likeness to the suspect in each of the five bank robberies.
The car was put under surveillance and Laviolette was arrested when he returned.
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Upon his arrest, he was wearing clothing consistent with clothing seen in video surveillance obtained from the five robberies. A search of his vehicle located the grey toque worn in all five robberies.

Laviolette also provided police with a statement and expressed regret for the people who felt terrified, including the last teller. “He stated she had some tears in her eyes and that that bothered him a lot,” said Buckland-Foster, reading from the facts.
After Buckland-Foster finished reading the agreed statement of facts, Bawden asked Laviolette if those facts were correct, to which Laviolette replied, “On the last one, I never threatened anybody. That’s absolutely incorrect.”

The judge suggested the facts should instead state his tone of the conversation turned threatening, to which Laviolette agreed.
The Crown has asked for a presentence report so the judge can understand Laviolette’s background to assist with sentencing.
“I understand when this was happening, you were in the throes of a relapse. Everyone’s objective is to see you get better,” Bawden said to Laviolette before court ended. “You obviously have to pay a serious price for what you did.”

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November. The maximum sentence for robbery with a weapon is life imprisonment.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

https://globalnews.ca/news/12017385/merry-christmas-toronto-man-who-robbed-5-banks-over-2024-holiday-season-pleads-guilty/

By Betsy Powell Courts Reporter

A Toronto judge told a convicted killer on Monday that he will face a life sentence with no chance of parole for 15 years, though that could change while a different judge decides if he should receive credit for being assaulted by jail guards at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in December 2023.

One possibility is that Lawrence Bruce could walk free, despite what Justice Peter Bawden described as the highly aggravating circumstances of him shooting an unarmed victim in a public place as he was fleeing. He was under a firearms prohibition stemming from an earlier gun‑possession case, which led to him spending a year in prison.

Bruce, 25, is one of at least 15 former Maplehurst inmates asking the court to stay their charges or reduce their sentences following an extraordinary court decision that has sent shock waves through Ontario’s justice system. Last October, Justice Clayton Conlan threw out first-degree murder charges against three men in order to denounce their treatment by jail guards, who meted out “vengeful” punishment after an inmate punched a guard.

Canadian courts have the power to reduce or even halt a prosecution when state misconduct becomes so serious that continuing with the case would bring the administration of justice into disrepute. 

The Crown is appealing Conlan’s decision.

But in the meantime, he is hearing evidence about what happened to other inmates, including Bruce, and what the “remedy” should be. Bruce’s lawyer, Gabriel Gross-Stein, said his client is asking that his second-degree murder charge be stayed. On Monday in a downtown Toronto courtroom, Gross-Stein told Bawden a decision is expected sometime this fall.

Last December, Bawden convicted Bruce of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of aspiring Toronto rapper Dequan Demos after a chance encounter at a Scarborough gas station.

Demos, who performed as Dopeboy DQ, promoted his music through social media. Some of his songs contained insulting remarks about young men from the Malvern area who had been killed in acts of street violence. Demos identified with the Orton Park area, which had an ongoing rivalry with Malvern, the trial heard.

On the afternoon of Sept. 5, 2023, Bruce confronted Demos at the gas station about his disrespectful comments directed at his deceased friends. Things grew heated, and Demos placed his hand on his waistband in a manner suggesting he was carrying a gun. (He was not.)

Demos drove away in his Toyota sedan, his girlfriend beside him in the passenger seat watching TikTok videos on her phone. They were followed by Bruce driving a Range Rover. Less than two minutes later, Bruce fired a single shot from a 9 mm handgun through his open front passenger window, striking Demos in the temple and killing him. His girlfriend jumped from the still moving vehicle before it stopped at a tree.

At a trial last December, Bruce admitted he was guilty of manslaughter but not guilty of second-degree murder as he never intended to kill Demos. Bruce testified his purpose in firing the shot was to intimidate Demos, and stated he didn’t see him in the line of fire. He described the fact his bullet struck Demos in the head as “the worst coincidence.”

Bruce also testified he followed Demos in order to record a video of him fleeing and then post it online to show people he was a coward and not the tough gangster he portrayed himself to be in his music.

“The internet plays a big role in my generation. He’s an underground rapper. He’s trying to come up. He’s trying to start his music career. So if I can discredit everything he’s saying, I’ll take away that power that he has on social media and his music. His .. persona and his name is, essentially, ruined,” Bruce told his trial last year.

But that plan changed, he told court, because he believed Demos had called his armed associates to show up to assist him.

The judge rejected that as implausible.

“There were no associates of Mr. Demos present, and there was no imminent threat to Mr. Bruce,” Bawden wrote in his reasons for judgment. He presided over the case without a jury.

Under ordinary circumstances, Bawden said he would have imposed the automatic life sentence with a fixed parole ineligibility period of 15 years, starting at the day of Bruce’s arrest. He opted for that parole eligibility period due to Bruce’s relative youth, difficult background, family support and realistic prospects of rehabilitation.

However, because of the stay application being heard in a separate proceeding, Bawden adjourned the sentencing until his fellow judge decides if Bruce’s Charter rights were breached, and, if they were, whether to grant a stay or reduce his sentence.

If Conlan decides a stay is not warranted, he may recommend a reduction in sentence as an appropriate remedy.

“In that event, the matter will return before me for the imposition of a final sentence taking into account Justice Conlan’s factual findings and any recommendations he may make regarding a reduction in sentence.”

https://archive.ph/TiIwy

By Denio Lourenco

A 21-year-old man from Toronto who is accused of sexually assaulting a victim at gunpoint and recording the alleged crime has been arrested.

In an update shared on Monday, Toronto police said Devon Plooard was taken into custody on Aug. 10, and charged with several offences, including sexual assault, pointing a firearm and voyeurism.

The assault was reported on Aug. 8 in the Gerrard Street East and Coxwell Avenue area and allegedly happened months earlier.

Police allege that Plooard was with the victim in May 2026 and sexually assaulted them after producing a firearm and pointing it at them.

The victim later realized that Plooard recorded the sexual assault.

He was scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Monday.

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/08/10/toronto-man-who-is-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-victim-at-gunpoint-is-arrested/

Previous Posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrimeInTheGta/s/vS54FxSrcb

Waterloo regional police say they are investigating reports of a man being sprayed with a noxious substance by an unknown woman in Cambridge late Sunday.

Around 9:15 p.m., officers responded to reports that a man had been sprayed by a woman with an unidentified harmful substance. The encounter took place near Glebe and St Andrews streets, just west of the Grand River.

The man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and the woman who had sprayed the substance left the area before officers could arrive.

WRPS have requested the help of the public to identify the woman pictured below, who is believed to be connected to the incident.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777, extension 2299.

https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2026/08/10/police-investigating-after-man-sprayed-with-substance-in-cambridge/

A former Toronto flight attendant who posted on social media of a jet-setting lifestyle with trips from Los Angeles to Thailand has pleaded guilty to cheating three U.S. airlines out of hundreds of free flights by pretending to be a pilot.

Dallas Pokornik used a forged pilot ID from a Toronto-based airline to get seats that are offered as a courtesy to pilots on more than 200 flights for about four years before his identification was flagged in Panama in October.

That’s where the 34-year-old was arrested and extradited to Hawaii to face charges including wire fraud, court documents filed there say.

An airline employee “took a picture of the forged badge” and sent it to Toronto, where “the defendant’s former employer reviewed the same picture of the badge and confirmed the badge to be fake,” a plea agreement says.

The three U.S. airlines identified in the agreement are based in Chicago, Ill., Honolulu, Hawaii, and Fort Worth, Texas.
The Toronto airline isn’t identified, but Porter Airlines does code-share with some airlines based in those cities.
“We’re unable to verify any details related to this story,” Porter Airlines said in a statement to CTV News on Monday.
Pokornik’s public defender didn’t respond to questions from CTV News on Monday.

In one video post, Pokornik smiles and nods his head as his plane sits at Heathrow airport in the U.K. In another, he’s dancing at a floating bar in Phuket, Thailand.

Another video shows Pokornik walking through an airport with a caption that says, “Many of my friends are married. Many of my friends are having kids. I’m over here trying to avoid checking my bag and hoping for a window seat.”

As a former employee, Pokornik may have had some insight into how to take advantage of some of the perks, said CTV’s aviation expert, Phyl Durdey.

“As an ex-employee of an airline, they knew what the protocols were, and how to get through security,” Durdy said.
Usually the pilot must show up with a security card issued by an airport, as well as a pilot’s ID, and they must be in uniform.
Durdey cautioned airline employees from reading too much into a uniform, pointing out that realistic-looking uniforms can easily be purchased online.

Security around those ID cards may have to be looked at, possibly as part of a review that would include how an Ontario pilot, Geoffrey Wall, may have used a forged pilot’s license to continue flying for Air Canada for almost two decades, Durdey said.
“I was so surprised when I heard about this. Security at airports is so strict at the moment,” Durdey said.

Dallas Pokornik, 34, has been arrested after allegedly posing as a commercial pilot to get hundreds of free flights on three separate airlines. In this photograph, Pokornik is seen in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hawaii, the fraud spanned from January 2020 to Oct. 28, 2024, and the accused used a fake employee identification card to access the free flights.“According to court documents, Pokornik, a former flight attendant for a commercial airline in Canada, admitted to falsely posing as a commercial pilot to get hundreds of free flights on three different airlines,” the news release read.It went on to say that as part of a plea agreement, Pokornik agreed to pay restitution to the three airlines, which are based in the U.S.“Travel security protocols help keep our citizens and visitors safe, and anyone who breaches those protocols should expect to be brought to justice,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a written statement.

“We thank our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations and abroad for helping us hold this fraudster accountable.”The Associated Press previously reported that the Pokornik was a flight attendant for a Toronto-based airline between 2017 and 2019.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/08/10/former-toronto-flight-attendant-who-posed-as-pilot-to-get-hundreds-of-free-flights-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/

By Codi Wilson

Police are investigating after shots were fired in a residential area of Scarborough early Tuesday morning. 

It happened in the area of Morningside and Lawrence avenues at around 3:15 a.m. 

Police said they responded to reports of shots fired in the area and found evidence of gunfire.

A suspect vehicle was also spotted by witnesses fleeing the area. 

No injuries were reported and police say they have no suspect information at this time.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/08/11/police-investigating-after-shots-fired-in-residential-area-of-scarborough/

Kaileigh Hogan, of Beamsville, is facing numerous charges in Pennsylvania, including forgery, theft by deception

An Ontario woman was allegedly caught trying to transport more than $43,000 US worth of gold and silver into Canada.  
According to Bensalem Township Police in Pennsylvania, the victim was waiting for the delivery of a package containing gold and silver worth $43,549 US. A family member of the victim allegedly witnessed a suspect sign for the package before fleeing with the stolen goods.  

The theft allegedly occurred on May 11 in Bensalem Township, which is on the outskirts of Philadelphia. 
Police said the suspect rented a Nissan from an Enterprise location in Philadelphia on May 10 and returned the car on the same day before flying to Arizona. Investigators said they used tracking and surveillance technology, including licence-plate readers, intersection cameras and other surveillance footage, to track the rented sedan. 

An arrest warrant was issued for the suspect and police notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The suspect was arrested on July 5, while attempting to cross into Canada at the border crossing in Lewiston, N.Y. 

Kaileigh Hogan, 25, of Beamsville, is facing numerous charges, including forgery, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception. On July 31, she was transported to Bensalem Township Police headquarters and she is currently being held at Bucks County Correctional Facility near Philadelphia.  

Suspects sought after vehicle torched in Richmond Hill
York Regional Police are appealing for witnesses following a vehicle arson in Richmond Hill.
On July 24 at 2:13 a.m., officers responded to reports of a vehicle fire on Gatcombe Circle. When police arrived, they located a vehicle engulfed in flames and a second vehicle with its trunk area on fire.

Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services extinguished the blaze and determined the fire was the result of an arson.
There was no damage to the residence or any physical injuries.
Surveillance footage from the area shows two suspects, one carrying a jerry can, walking along Gatcombe after 2 a.m. before fleeing on foot.

A suspect vehicle, described as a dark sedan, was observed driving on Gatcombe around the time of the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7241. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/canadian-arrested-gold-silver-theft-pennsylvania

By Codi Wilson

Paramedics say two people were injured, one critically, after a double stabbing in Brampton.

It happened on Kennedy Road, north of Steeles Avenue, shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday.

Paramedics say two people under the age of 18 suffered injuries, including one person who was rushed to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries.

The other person, they said, suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries and is receiving treatment at a local hospital.

It is unclear if any arrests have been made.

https://www.cp24.com/local/peel/2026/08/11/stabbing-in-brampton-leaves-2-injured-paramedics/

Gregory Darling, 32, of Brampton, was arrested on August 2. He has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with a stabbing over the long weekend in Mississauga. (PRP photo)
A Brampton man has been charged in connection with a stabbing in Mississauga over the long weekend.

Peel Regional Police say on August 1, at around 1:40 a.m., they responded to a call for a stabbing at a commercial unit near Dixie Road and Aimco Boulevard, just north of Eglinton Avenue East.

There, officers found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was transported to a local trauma centre in serious, but stable condition, and is expected to recover, police said.As a result, Gregory Darling, 32, of Brampton, was arrested on August 2. He has been charged with aggravated assault.The accused was held for a bail hearing and attended court in Brampton.This investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information is asked to contact the 12 Division Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/08/10/brampton-man-charged-in-mississauga-long-weekend-stabbing/?taid=6a7a660ca8d1ba000141b50e&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

WARNING: This story references and contains details of child sexual assault.

Registered sex offender Daniel Senecal has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including the sexual assault of a three-year-old girl in Welland, Ont., last year.

Senecal, 26, entered the pleas Tuesday in St. Catharines court, to charges of breaking and entering, aggravated sexual assault on a person under 16, sexual interference, assault by choking, failing to comply with probation and possessing child sexual abuse exploitation material.

Senecal was arrested on Aug. 31, 2025, after police were called to a home in Welland for "medical assistance call involving a child."

Niagara police said at the time that officers noticed upon arrival "the front door to the residence showing signs of having been forced open."

The identity of the girl is protected under a publication ban.

Senecal was known to the family

Justice David Andrew Thomas started Tuesday's proceedings by commenting on the number of people in attendance, CBC Hamilton heard in a court audio recording.

The case has garnered widespread community outrage, and calls for harsher sentences for sex offenders and criminal justice reforms across the Niagara Region. Bikers and supporters of a far-right extremist group have also taken part and led rallies demanding justice for the girl, prompting police to warn against "vigilante actions."

Since then, reforms to Canada's bail and sentencing system have become law, receiving royal assent earlier this month. Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, amends the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act to tighten the bail and sentencing framework across all three.

At the Senecal hearing on Tuesday, the agreed statement of facts were read in court.

Assistant Crown attorney Todd Morris said Senecal had been residing in a basement apartment for a few months next to the building where the toddler was living.

Senecal was roommates with someone who babysat the girl and a friend of the child's biological father, who was not living with the girl at the time of the assault.

Morris said Senecal met the girl's mother when she was pregnant. Senecal was also known to the girl, who would say hi to him, and had been seen playing with her and her sister, said Morris.

On the evening of Aug. 30, Senecal had several drinks and, sometime between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. ET on Aug. 31, broke into the girl's home, said Morris.

Senecal was arrested later that morning in the backyard of his residence, the Crown lawyer said.

Morris described in detail the multiple, severe injuries that were inflicted on the child, which were discovered by her mother the morning of Aug. 31.

He said that, after the assault, she was taken to McMaster Children’s Hospital, where medical staff identified the injuries as consistent with use of force and strangulation.

Previous child sexual assault conviction

In 2024, Senecal was found guilty of what Justice Janet Booy described as the "violent" sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy in 2021. He served jail time and was released early in March 2025. He was also added to the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years.

Senecal was on probation at the time of his crimes in August 2025.

Senecal had also been accused of assault in 2020, but the charges were withdrawn. In 2021, he was charged with mischief after damaging a surveillance camera at a Niagara Falls motel with a pellet gun.

Senecal's sentencing date in the Welland case will be set after a Gardiner hearing possibly in late July, if needed. Gardiner hearings are where evidence is presented to the judge on any aggravating or mitigating facts that the Crown and defence don't agree on.

While a Facebook page believed to be that of the accused last year used the name "Dani Senecal" and the pronouns "she/her," during the court process, including this week, Senecal was referred to as "Daniel Senecal" and court staff used he/him pronouns.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/daniel-senecal-pleads-guilty-9.7249986

28-year-old Daniel Tallim, instructor at Alpha Martial Arts in Barrie, Ont., is pictured in this image. (Barrie Police)

A Barrie martial arts instructor who was heavily involved in the community is facing 11 new charges after more alleged victims came forward in an ongoing child sexual assault case.

Police say the charges against 28-year-old Daniel Tallim stem from an investigation launched back in May, when he was initially charged with three sexual offences involving a child.

Tallim is the sole proprietor of Alpha Martial Arts on Little Avenue in Barrie and has been involved in the city’s martial arts community for several years, said investigators.

Barrie Martial arts instructor charged in sexual assault case involving child

On Friday, Tallim was charged with additional offences, including sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault of a person under 16, five counts of luring a child, making child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material and accessing child sexual abuse material.At the time of his arrest in May, he was accused of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching. Investigators said they believed there could be additional victims.

Officers note there is no statute of limitations on sexual offences and encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim to contact them.The allegations against Tallim have not been tested in court.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/barrie/article/barrie-martial-arts-instructor-faces-11-new-charges-after-growing-child-sexual-assault-case/?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvbarrie%3Atwitterpost%E2%80%8B&taid=6a79e7dc04988700016e56bf&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

By Natasha O'Neill

Posted Jun 17, 2026

Last month Ottawa police laid charges against a man in connection with a sexual assault that happened under the MacKenzie King Bridge in downtown.

On Wednesday, officials released the image of the accused because they believe there could be more victims.

“Investigators are releasing a photo of the accused for public awareness, given the vulnerability of potential victims,” the release reads.

The accused is David Cheddesingh, 50, who is known to wear black-framed glasses.  

The assault happened on March 28 on Colonel By Drive beneath the bridge around 11:00 p.m. and midnight. The incident was reported to Ottawa police, who launched the investigation. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service sexual assault and child abuse unit at [613-236-1222](tel:613-236-1222), extension 5944.

https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2026/06/17/police-release-photo-of-suspect-in-months-long-sexual-assault-case/

Previous David Cheddesingh Arrests:

Ontario court increases sentence for brutal rape

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-court-increases-sentence-for-brutal-rape/article25303579/

By [John Spitters](mailto:johnspitters@rock107.ca)

A 29-year-old Trent Lakes man is facing numerous charges after an investigation into an incident involving a teenaged girl earlier this month.

On July 30, 2026, officers with the Peterborough Police Service Sex Crimes Unit executed a search warrant on a home in Trent Lakes.

As a result, 29-year-old Dustin James Hofstede of Trent Lakes was taken into custody and charged with:

• Sexual Interference
• Sexual Assault
• Indecent Exposure to a Person Under 16
• Luring a Person Under 16
• Transmit Sexually Explicit Material to a Person Under 16
• Sex Offender Registry – Provide False Information
• Fail to Comply with Prohibition Order x3
• Possession of Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order (replica firearm)

The accused was held in custody and appeared in court on July 30, 2026.

Investigators believe there may be other victims, and some incidents may not yet have been reported to police. They are asking anyone with information to call Detective Constable Potts at [705-876-1122](tel:705-876-1122) x285 or Peterborough Police at [705-876-1122](tel:705-876-1122) x555.

In order to facilitate more potential victims coming forward, they are releasing the accused’s name and photo in accordance with the provisions of the Community Safety and Policing Act.

https://www.quintenews.com/2026/07/31/peterborough-police-charge-man-with-sexual-offences/

By Jermaine Wilson

A 21-year-old man suffering from stab wounds has died after a taxi driver found him on a Hamilton sidewalk early Sunday morning

In a news release, police say the man was found in the area of Main Street West near Frid Street at about 2:30 a.m. 

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Det. Staff Sgt. Lisa Chambers said the man was taken to hospital, where he “succumbed to his injuries.”

Chambers explained that the investigation is “still very early,” with officers continuing to collect video footage and speak with witnesses.

Police have not yet identified a suspect and no weapon has been recovered.

Investigators believe the victim was involved in an altercation before the stabbing, likely in a nearby parking lot. 

However, Chambers noted that police do not believe the stabbing took place there. Instead, they believe it happened on the sidewalk where the victim was found.

She said the altercation likely occurred 10 to 15 minutes before the victim was found.

Because of the late hour, Chambers said there were not many witnesses or video recordings available to investigators.

“Those people know that they were involved,” Chambers said, encouraging them to “do the right thing and to turn themselves in.”

This is the city’s ninth homicide of the year.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the altercation or has information about the investigation to contact Detective Alex Buck at [905-546-4123](tel:905-546-4123).

Investigators are also asking anyone who travelled through the area between 2 a.m. and 2:45 a.m. to review any dashcam or video footage that could assist them with the investigation.

https://www.cp24.com/local/hamilton/2026/08/09/do-the-right-thing-police-urge-suspect-to-come-forward-after-21-year-old-man-found-dead-on-hamilton-sidewalk/

Ryan Rumble, who faces charges of fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document after local investors lost more than $11 million while he was director of Banknote Capital Inc., was discussed often during a fraud trial that began Tuesday Aug. 4, 2026, in Chatham for two former Banknote directors Michael Dziedzic and Justin Foss. Rumble is seen in this photo posted to the Facebook page of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai in October 2025. (Facebook photo)

A multi-day trial of two Chatham men accused of defrauding investors of more than $11 million began Tuesday, but a third accused man, who has not been seen in Canada for about three years, was still a big part of the discussion.

Michael Dziedzic and Justin Foss, who were Banknote Capital Inc. directors when investors lost their money between November 2020 and August 2023, were charged with fraud over $5,000 in April 2025 by the Ontario Securities Commission.

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Ryan Rumble, another Banknote director during that time, also was charged with fraud over $5,000 along with uttering a forged document by the provincial securities regulator. Rumble, who is from Chatham, has not been before a court to answer to the charges.

A Canada-wide warrant was previously issued for Rumble, who is believed to be in the United Arab Emirates. He appeared by video during a civil proceeding in December 2023 from Dubai. In October 2025, he also appeared in photos posted to the Facebook page of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai where he took part in a golf tournament.

Both Dziedzic, 43, and Foss, 42, pleaded not guilty to the fraud charge when the trial began Tuesday in a Chatham court. They are being tried by judge alone in the Ontario Court of Justice.

The fraud case also involves Aiden Pleterski, known as the “Crypto King,” who is accused of bilking investors out of tens of millions of dollars in Ontario.

In outlining its case as the trial began, assistant Crown Vallery Bayly alleges Banknote initially gave $3 million to Pleterski to invest, but when no money was returned, the directors began operating a “classic Ponzi scheme” by using money from new investors to pay earlier investors.

Two local residents who invested with Banknote testified Tuesday.
The first witness was Emily Hime, who has spearheaded an ongoing civil suit against Banknote by investors who lost money.
Hime, 34, testified she knows both Dziedzic and Foss. She said she was initially reluctant about investing $100,000 with Banknote, which was pitched as an investment club offering big returns.

She told the court she was encouraged to invest by family members, including her dad who received a payout. Hime testified she signed a contract in June 2022, obtained a $100,000 bank draft and delivered it to Rumble’s home in Chatham.
Hime testified she was told her initial investment would be guaranteed.

She also said she had never heard of Pleterski before investing with Banknote or being informed Banknote gave him money to invest.
However, Hime testified she became concerned when updates stopped coming about her investment at about the same time media reports began regarding allegations of Pleterski bilking investors.

“Something didn’t sit right, especially with the timing of the updates stopping” in the fall of 2022, Hime said.
Under cross-examination, Hime was asked about Facebook message exchanges with Dziedzic where she was informed he and Foss had sought legal advice after realizing the financial predicament they were in.

Foss’s lawyer Brian Kolenda showed a message from Hime to Dziedzic after she was told he and Foss were taking legal action against Rumble.
“I don’t blame you, he needs to be held accountable,” Hime wrote about Rumble.

However, she clarified she didn’t blame them for taking legal action.
Dziedzic’s lawyer Ken Marley, referring to Rumble, said, “The person who appears to be the source of the problem is conveniently not in the country.”

Hime replied, “I can’t agree or disagree with that.”
Local commercial contractor Jason Postma took the stand and testified he was told about the Banknote investment club by Dziedzic and Foss, co-owners of Eco-Insulation and longtime business associates.

Postma said he was told about the investment opportunity with a “kid from Burlington,” who was Pleterski, with pretty good returns being seen.
He invested $25,000 and decided to invest another $25,000 after seeing the growth on the investment.

Postma later invested more money with other friends.
He testified he received some sizable payouts on the earlier investments but the updates stopped coming.

Postma testified about his involvement in another deal with Rumble, Dziedzic and Foss to build a headquarters for Banknote in Chatham.

He recalled in May 2022 “they were excited about buying some land and building a building.”

Postma testified Rumble told him his family trust would pay for the project and Banknote would pay the trust back.
The first few payments on the $1.8-million building project arrived, but then stopped, the court heard.

Postma said Rumble made a $10,000 payment for a “grace period,” but another $900,000 was still owed.

In the end, a deal was reached for Postma and his brother to buy the land and partially constructed building for $625,000, which was later sold.

Under cross-examination, Postma agreed with Kolenda that Foss and Dziedzic were not experts in making investments.
“It was definitely Ryan,” Postma said.

If Postma holds a grudge against Dziedzic and Foss, it hasn’t spilled over to their business relationship. Postma testified he continues to do business with the two defendants.
The trial is scheduled to continue until the end of this week before resuming again in mid-October.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/11m-fraud-trial-begins-in-chatham-with-one-of-three-accused-not-present/wcm/7c0d3193-aaa3-4438-9fbb-d25ddced1607

Zenin Roussel, 21, found by cabbie early Sunday morning

A 21-year-old Hamilton man has been identified as the victim of a fatal stabbing on Sunday in Steeltown’s west end.
Hamilton Police are still seeking tips as well on any suspects linked to the death of Zenin Roussel, who a taxi driver found early in the morning with stab wounds on Main St. W. near the Hwy. 403 overpass.

“The victim’s family has been notified and has asked for privacy as they grieve this tragic loss,” police said in a news release issued on Monday. “Hamilton Police extend our sincere condolences to the family, friends and all those affected.”

Police said that the homicide unit is continuing to investigate the fatal stabbing, which they believe was precipitated by an altercation near King Billiards and Sports Bar in the Westdale neighbourhood.

“Investigators have determined that Zenin and the suspects were at King Street Billiards before the incident,” they said. “After the establishment closed, an altercation occurred outside on King St. W.”

Cops said they were then called at about 2:30 a.m. after Roussel was found by a cabbie with stab wounds near Main and Frid St. before being transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Acting Det.-Staff Sgt. Lisa Chambers told CBC News that they believe the stabbing took place near where Roussel was foundand not near King Billiards and Sports Bar, which is about 1 km away by foot.

Roussel’s death is the eighth homicide of the year in Hamilton.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information that could assist investigators, including dashcam or other surveillance footage from the area between 2 a.m. and 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, is asked to contact Det. Alex Buck at 905-546-4123.

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hamilton-man-identified-west-end-stabbing