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Jamie Sarkonak: Man free to sexually assault children, rules Alberta's top court

Courts say Kendall Longclaws can't be prosecuted or psychiatrically detained for sex crimes against three minors because he was never taught to communicate

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Last week, Alberta’s top court ruled that a deaf man who never learned to communicate can’t be tried for sex crimes, or even assessed for mental fitness to stand trial, because it would violate his Charter rights. This means the man is functionally exempt from the Criminal Code, and is thus free to rape and even murder if he so wishes.

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At very least, the average Albertan isn’t likely to run into Kendall Longclaws. He grew up on an isolated farm with seven siblings and continues to live there, in his 30s, with his parents. He doesn’t leave the property without them. He’s deaf. He can’t read, understand a calendar, or use a phone. The only word he can speak is “brother”; he can also write his name, play video games, and use grunts and rudimentary gestures that relate to his daily life, like “yes,” “sorry,” and riding horses. Beyond that, his family never taught him how to communicate.

Jamie Sarkonak: Man........

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