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More than 40 years after they were convicted of murder, Robert Mailman, 76, and Walter Gillespie, 80, walked out of a Saint John courthouse Thursday acquitted of a killing they had always insisted they never committed.
Gillespie trembled and wiped tears, as he told reporters in Saint John that he didn’t think this day would come. “I just want to thank everybody,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. Mailman, who is terminally ill with cancer and expected to live only a few more months, walked stiffly toward a scrum of reporters. His voice was too weak to be heard so he listened intently as Ron Dalton, a fellow exoneree and co-president of Innocence Canada, spoke on his behalf.
The pair were convicted of second-degree murder in 1984 for the killing of a Saint John plumber named George Leeman. The 55-year-old was beaten to death, doused in gasoline and set on fire – his charred body found by a jogger near a trail in a vast park overlooking the city. At the time of his death, Mr. Leeman owed several thousand dollars to local pimps and bootleggers. The men were sentenced to life in prison, with Mailman serving 18 years in prison and Gillespie serving 21.
Robert Mailman, left, and Walter Gillespie, speak to media shortly as Ron Dalton, right, co-president of Innocence Canada, looks on after their hearing at Saint John Law Courts in Saint John, N.B., Jan. 4, 2024.Michael Hawkins/The Canadian Press
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Islamic State group claims responsibility for suicide bombings in Iran
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for what is being described as the worst militant attack to strike Iran in decades: two suicide bombings targeting a commemoration for a slain Iranian general.
Wednesday’s attack in Kerman killed at least 89 people and wounded an additional 284. It targeted a ceremony honouring Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, held up as an icon by supporters of the country’s theocracy and viewed by the U.S. military as a deadly foe who aided militants who killed American troops in Iraq.
People visit the scene of Wednesday's bomb explosion in the city of Kerman 820 km southeast of Tehran, Iran, Jan. 4, 2024.Vahid Salemi/The Associated Press
As Israel seeks allies’ support against UN genocide charge, Canada won’t say whether it will intervene in case
The Canadian government is declining to take a public stand one way or the other as Israel seeks to mobilize its allies to oppose a genocide charge levelled by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
The United States denounced the South African genocide allegation this week, calling it “meritless and counterproductive.” But other Western countries are declining to take sides in the case, while Islamic countries are supporting the allegation. Israeli leaders have asked its allies to oppose the case, and all members of the court have a right to intervene on one side or the other.
In the Middle East, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has outlined a new stage of Israel’s war in Gaza: a more targeted approach in the north and further pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south while Israel seeks to free remaining hostages held by Hamas. And a Houthi drone boat laden with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the U.S. Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop.
Read more:
- The Israel-Hamas war led to one of the deadliest years for journalists on record, advocacy organization says
- Families in Gaza search desperately for food and water, wait in long lines for aid
Presiding judge Joan Donoghue, second right, opens a World Court session in The Hague, Netherlands, Sept. 18, 2023.Peter Dejong/The Associated Press
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Also on our radar
SIU investigating death of Thunder Bay woman after police fail to respond to 911 calls: Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating the death of an Indigenous woman in Thunder Bay after the local service failed to respond to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance, as well as a second follow-up call to “cancel” that request for help.
Relatives of London attack victims share grief in victim-impact statements: More than 30 relatives of an immigrant family slain in an Islamophobic attack have told a court that the 2021 crime has left them with fears of follow-up attacks and the feeling that Canada is not safe for Muslims.
Artist-studio provider Artscape owed $21-million to TD, faces receivership court date: Toronto Artscape Inc., a long-time provider of affordable housing and studio space for artists, owed Toronto-Dominion Bank more than $21-million when it announced last summer that it expected to wind down, according to new court documents filed ahead of a hearing that was expected to begin the non-profit’s receivership process.
Ottawa confirms a third of Accenture employees working on CEBA are based in Brazil: A third of the outsourced employees working on a federal COVID-19 business program are based in Brazil, Export Development Canada said, despite the government earlier saying that nearly all of them were in Canada.
Parkland’s largest shareholder denied board chair appointment: Parkland Corp. is in a standoff with its largest shareholder over leadership of the fuel distribution company’s board, a fight that analysts say could escalate into a battle for control of the business or a significant share sale.
Morning markets
World stocks struggle: Global equities were on track to snap a nine-week winning streak, while the U.S. dollar was poised for its strongest weekly advance since mid-May, as bets on aggressive central bank rate cuts were rolled back. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.89 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 were down 0.82 per cent and 1.08 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.27 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.66 per cent. New York futures were negative. The Canadian dollar was lower at 74.75 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
A wedge issue: Canada should embrace free trade in cheese
“Competition has put pressure on margins, with one cheese importer bemoaning the slender profits on Parmesan. But what is cause for complaint from vendors is a win for consumers. Competition is doing what it should, exerting downward pressure on prices. The lesson that the Canadian government has taken from this demonstrable policy success is: Let’s never do that again.” – The Editorial Board
Politicians’ grand housing visions forget to involve folks who actually build homes
“It’s the private sector that can help to address the outstanding issues that are holding back housing development. They are calling for an expansion of the removal of GST on purpose-built rentals. The removal should not be limited to completed buildings but expanded to projects that are under way but no longer viable due to interest rate increases, a shortage of skilled labour or lack of supply for raw materials.” – Pascal Chan
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Which Parks Canada campground is your favourite?
It may be winter right now, but before you know it, camping season will be calling and you’ll be shaking the cobwebs out of your tents. So tell us, what makes your favourite Parks Canada camping spot so great? From coast to coast, we want to hear from you about which site at which campground makes your summer heart sing. Tell us about your favourite Parks Canada campground here.
Moment in time: Jan. 5, 1973
Bruce Springsteen releases his debut album
Bruce Springsteen performs on stage at Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 11, 2023.LISELOTTE SABROE/AFP/Getty Images
Released this day in 1973, Bruce Springsteen’s first album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. was not only an auspicious debut from the promising American rock troubadour but a windfall-in-waiting for the England-based Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. That group would record cover versions of a pair of the album’s Springsteen-written tracks and score hits with both: Spirit in the Night reached No. 97 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1975; Blinded by the Light topped that chart in 1976. Although Mr. Springsteen’s own versions of the songs failed to chart as singles, the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. impressed the top rock critic of the day. In his review for Rolling Stone, a prescient Lester Bangs said the handsome 23-year-old phenom was “a bold new talent with more than a mouthful to say, and one look at the pic on the back will tell you he’s got the glam to go places.” By Oct. 27, 1975, Mr. Springsteen was on the cover of both Time and Newsweek, and the music world and Manfred Mann were blinded by the light, indeed. Brad Wheeler.
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