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Copyright 1996 Southam Inc.

The Gazette (Montreal)

August 22, 1996, Thursday, FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A6

LENGTH: 452 words

HEADLINE: Killing was hate crime: gay activists: Want designation that would lead to tougher sentence

BYLINE: ANDY RIGA; THE GAZETTE

BODY:

 

Gay activists want the recent killing of a gay Montreal man to be treated as a hate crime, a designation that could lead to a tougher sentence for the killer.

But police say they have no evidence the killing of REal Halde, 54, was motivated by hatred toward gay men.

Haldes nude body was found in his St. Sulpice St. apartment on Aug. 8. His throat had been slashed.

Police arrested AndrE Lortie, 28, in connection with the slaying on Friday and say he will be charged with second-degree murder.

We believe that the aggressor has a problem with homosexuals, Michael Hendricks, a spokesman for the Committee on Violence Against Gays and

Lesbians, told a news conference yesterday. This person decided that this was a basis for murder.

Hendricks said the details of the case fit the pattern of crimes inspired by hate toward gay men.

He said victims of such crimes are usually law-abiding men who invite their killer into their homes and are then viciously attacked, usually with a sharp instrument. Little if anything is taken from the victims home.

Montreals gay and lesbian community has been rocked by the slaying. Hate crime, by its very definition, affects the entire community of the minority targeted, Hendricks said.

If a Hasidic man was walking down the street and was murdered in a hateful fashion because of his costume or because of his religious behavior, all of the Hasidic community, all of the Jewish community, would be touched, he said.

In this case, were all touched by what happened. Mr. Halde was just like every other gay man, pursuing an innocent life minding his own business.

But Det.-Lt. Claude Lachapelle, of the Montreal Urban Community police homicide squad, said the investigation didnt turn up anything to support Hendrickss contention that Haldes killer hated gay men.

We have no indication it was a hate crime, he said. Im not saying it was or wasnt, but I have no indications that would permit me to place a value judgment in one sense or the other.

There have been precedents in which judges have imposed stiffer sentences because a crime was hate motivated.

Last year, the House of Commons passed legislation to force judges to consider imposing sentences toward the higher end of the punishment allowed when a crime is motivated by bias, prejudice or hate,

A spokesman for Justice Minister Allan Rock yesterday said the provisions will come into effect only early this fall.

Until then, it will continue to be up to prosecutors to decide whether to ask a judge to consider higher sentences.

The prosecutors office isnt commenting on the case against AndrE Lortie. A prosecutor will only be assigned to handle his case on Monday.

 

 

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: August 23, 1996

 

 

 

 

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