Colorado police oversight bill advances, propelled by whistleblowers

Former Edgewater police officer McKinzie Rees hopes to serve and protect again, but first she must get her name removed from a so-called “bad cops list” maintained by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. It landed there, she said, as retaliation after she reported sexual assaults by a supervising sergeant. That sergeant went on to work … Read more

B.C. civil lawsuit against Sex Pistols guitarist alleges 1980 sexual assault

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. A Vancouver woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Paramount Pictures Corp. and punk rocker Stephen Jones of The Sex Pistols alleging he sexually assaulted her as a teenager while she was a movie extra more than … Read more

New Colorado law prohibits use of sex assault victims’ clothing, hairstyle

Defendants in Colorado sexual assault cases soon will be prohibited from using what a victim was wearing or a victim’s hairstyle as evidence of consent. Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, who is the acting governor this week, signed House Bill 1072 Wednesday afternoon. The bipartisan legislation is aimed at strengthening protections for sex assault victims in … Read more

Louisiana man sentenced to 50 years in prison, physical castration for raping teen

Preview: Christine Blasey Ford: I was “naïve” about Kavanaugh testimony Christine Blasey Ford: “I was naïve” about consequences of Brett Kavanaugh testimony 00:36 A Louisiana man has been sentenced to decades in prison and physical castration after pleading guilty to raping a teenager, according to a news release from the region’s district attorney.  Glenn Sullivan … Read more

Actor Jonathan Majors avoids jail time, sentenced to counselling for assault

Actor Jonathan Majors has been ordered to complete a year-long counselling program but avoided jail time Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that derailed the once-promising star’s career. The 34-year-old star of Creed III and other films had faced up to a year behind bars after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault by … Read more

Colorado lawmakers begin debating ban on sale of assault weapons

Updated at 1:17 p.m.: As the first public commenters began to testify for and against the “assault” weapons bill late Tuesday morning, common themes quickly emerged. For supporters of the bill, which would ban the sale and purchase of certain semi-automatic weapons, the measure is a response to the mass shootings that have become routine … Read more

NDP motion on Palestinian statehood passes after major amendments

The House of Commons passed a softened New Democrat motion on Monday night that no longer calls for the federal government to officially recognize Palestinian statehood after last-minute amendments brought in by the governing Liberals. Softening the motion’s original language, one of the 14 amendments called for the government to work toward “the establishment of the State of Palestine … Read more

Assault weapons ban, housing, excited delirium in Colorado legislature

After last week was disrupted by the snowpocalypse, the Colorado Capitol is back on track this week, and it’s kicking off the latter half of March with what will almost certainly be the longest committee hearing of the session. A bill to ban the purchase and transfer of so-called assault weapons (HB24-1292) is set for … Read more

Montreal-based musician awarded $1.5M in Alberta defamation lawsuit

A Quebec-based electronic music artist hopes to get his career and life back on track after triumphing in an Alberta defamation lawsuit tied to social media posts accusing him of being a sexual predator. “It was terrible. The whole thing was like pure nightmare and hell,” Frederik Durand said in an interview from Montreal. “I … Read more

Police investigate assault of civilians by officers in viral video

The police in Ebonyi State, south-east Nigeria, say they will investigate some operatives seen in a viral video clip assaulting two yet-to-be-identified men in the state. The police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. The viral video clip In the 30-second clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, some armed police operatives, numbering … Read more