The jury never heard that at the time of Yasmin’s murder, Imona-Russel was on bail on charges for raping a girlfriend twice and threatening to kill her with a drill to her head.
A publication ban imposed by Justice Maureen Forestell prevented the media from reporting details of his criminal record until the verdict.
Forestell said she feared Imona-Russel wouldn’t get a fair trial if jurors learned “of his recent convictions for crimes of violence against a female victim.”
Imona-Russel was convicted of the rapes he was on bail for at the time of Ashareh’s murder. The HIV-positive assailant was also found guilty of attempted aggravated sexual assault endangering life of the same victim — a 59 year-old flight attendant — for having unprotected sex with the woman.
He was sentenced last September to nine years in prison for those crimes.
“Yasmin Ashareh was an innocent young woman who was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time when this horrible, unspeakable crime was committed,” said Crown attorney David Fisher.
Imona Russel legal and other related fees cost Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars since he used a false passport to come to Canada from Nigeria in 2003.
He worked only a few months before going on a disability pension after learning he was HIV positive. His refugee claim was denied and his deportation order became enforceable on April 21, 2004.
He “could not be removed forthwith because he had no valid identity or travel documents and he had not exhausted all legal avenues to remain in Canada,” said Anna Pape, spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency.
Asha Ashareh blamed the immigration department for failing to deport the Imona-Russel before his crime spree.
“He never worked a day in his life and he killed my daughter and ended her dream of helping youths as a social worker,” said the distraught woman.
www.torontosun.com
Mehn, that's so bad! Giving Nigeria bad name yet again! hssssssssss
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