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Shotgun Divorce Enforced

May 29, 2008 permalink

Father Stephen M Dean of Cobourg Ontario is sitting in jail because he was found to be associating with the mother of his child, clearly with her consent.

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Cobourg man ignores order of non-association

Posted By By Cecilia Nasmith, May 28, 2008

In custody since April 4 for breaching his probation order, 26-year-old Cobourg resident Stephen M. Dean did not get two-for-one credit for time served on his May 12 guilty plea in the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg - simply because he certainly knew better, Justice Robert Graydon decided.

As a result, he will serve 62 days on top of time served for twice breaching a probation condition to have no contact with his girlfriend following assault convictions.

On February 14, police in the vicinity of the woman's Cobourg address observed her and a companion walking down the sidewalk. The male dashed away, and the woman went inside. Police later observed her re-emerge and join up with the man - later identified as the accused - some distance away from the residence.

On April 4, a Children's Aid worker out to interview the woman about her child (with Mr. Dean) asked police to accompany her for her own safety. The woman held off answering the door until after several knocks. She and the officer spotted a man's jacket and, when they told her they knew Mr. Dean was there, she didn't deny it.

The officer heard a noise in the bedroom and went in. He saw a pair of men's shoes and heard a slight rustle of the clothing in the closet. He called Mr. Dean's name and got no answer. He started to rummage in the closet and discovered a hand attached to Mr. Dean's arm.

Crown attorney David Thompson produced Mr. Dean's record which, by his count, contained 25 previous breaches of court orders.

Justice Robert Graydon was even more disturbed by the probation officer's report that she told him the non-association clause could be removed if he underwent counselling - and then he failed to show up.

Mr. Dean acknowledged what he had done was wrong, and apologized, but Justice Graydon said he had missed a golden opportunity to show good faith when he missed that appointment.

Learning Mr. Dean is on probation until 2010, Justice Graydon declined to issue a further probation order.

cnasmith@northumberlandtoday.com

Source: Northumberland Today

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