David Pasternack Mrs. Howard CLU3M-02 April 19, 2024 Current Events Assignment Summary In 2021, a man by the name of Nathaniel Veltman was convicted on account of the terror attack on the Afzaal family in London, Ontario. The case suggests that the Afzaal family was simply going for a walk when Veltman allegedly struck the family with a pickup truck, leaving four members of the family dead, and one child injured and orphaned. Earlier this year, Veltman had received a life sentence on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder as a result of the terror attack, and Veltman now seeks to appeal his convictions just two months later. Veltman has now filed an inmate notice of appeal with the court to extend his appeal deadline…show more content… In order for the justice system to properly address the rights of the accused to appeal their convictions in serious cases such as the terror attack on the Afzaal family, I believe that certain precautions must be taken beforehand. It is necessary that they carefully balance the defendant's right to appeal with the severity of the case itself, along with the evidence brought forth by the defence that would be used to support their appeal. This is because, as Tahir mentioned in the CBC article, undergoing the trial yet again, especially in gut-wrenching cases such as the terror attack on the Afzaal family, could cause retraumatization for the affected victim(s) and their relatives. Thus, unless a genuine case has been built up, an appeal should not even be taken into consideration. In the specific case of R. v. Veltman, the backing he claims regarding his appeal is that he was prejudiced against the utilization of a supposedly inadmissible statement made by Veltman to investigators. However, aside from these assertions, Veltman lacks any legitimate evidence supporting his appeal, yet, supposedly, he still has a high probability of receiving a new trial. This is completely inequitable, and I believe that in severe cases such as this, the justice system…show more content… Society plays a significant role in preventing hate crimes within communities, as highlighted in the CBC article regarding the terror attack on the Afzaal family. To mitigate hate crimes such as this from occurring in our society again, we, as a community, must take proactive steps in the right direction. First of all, there must be a concerted effort in our society to address and oppose the causes of discriminatory behaviour towards others. In order to do this, we must prioritize and promote education within schools that fosters inclusivity, and negates intolerance. By implementing measures to encourage acceptance within schools, kids will learn from a young age to embrace those around them, regardless of their cultural background or identity. This, in turn, would significantly decrease the number of hate crimes in our society, as there would be a stronger focus on social cohesion within our community, and people would grow up to adopt the values of diversity. Furthermore, those who have already perpetrated hate crimes themselves should receive rehabilitation to alter their prejudiced mindsets. A key aspect of the justice system is for people to come out of punishment renewed, and rid of their previous negative principles. However, serving time in prison, which is what Veltman is doing for his terror attack on the Afzaal family, has not proven itself to be successful in
