The Macdonald-Cartier Constructing on Wellington Road is house to the Ontario Court docket of Justice in Kingston. File photograph.
The person accused within the boat crash in South Frontenac Township that took the lives of three younger individuals has been launched on bail.
On Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, Matthew Splinter appeared earlier than the Ontario Court docket of Justice in Kingston for a bail listening to. The 44-year-old South Frontenac man Is going through 12 charges associated to the collision, which came about in Buck Bay of Bobs Lake in Could 2024. Splinter final appeared in court docket on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, and has remained in custody since on the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay.
Presided over by magistrate Nathan Flight, members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) offered proof on the bail listening to, arguing main, secondary, and tertiary grounds in opposition to Splinter’s launch on bail. These grounds discuss with causes an accused particular person might not be eligible for launch on bail In response to the John Howard Society of Ontario, probably the most easy option to perceive this course of is as follows.
When deciding whether or not an accused particular person ought to proceed to be detained, the court docket should take into account whether or not a number of of the grounds for detention are met. Major floor refers to detention being required to “ensure that the accused will attend court”; secondary floor refers to detention being required for “the protection of the public”; and tertiary floor refers to detention being required to “maintain the public’s confidence in the justice system.”
Whereas there’s a publication ban in place on Splinter’s case, that ban solely applies to the small print of proof offered in court docket.
The summation of the day-long bail listening to resulted in Justice Flight granting Splinter bail whereas he awaits trial. Flight outlined a surety plan, which noticed Joseph Splinter, the accused’s brother, publish $75,000, the accused’s girlfriend Sarah Hood publish $10,000, and Splinter himself ordered to publish $1,000.
Splinter was positioned on home arrest, barring him from leaving his residence with exceptions just for:
Medical emergencies involving himself or a direct member of his familyTravelling on to, from, or whereas at court docket appearances or assembly along with his lawyer, or to adjust to this or some other court docket orderTravelling on to, from, or whereas attending counselling
Additional, Justice Flight positioned Splinter on a non-communication order, prohibiting him from speaking straight or not directly with a complete of 116 individuals. He was ordered to not have care or management of a conveyance (a car, snowmobile, boat, and many others.).
The boat crash, which occurred on the 2024 Victoria Day weekend, concerned two boats, which have been discovered by emergency responders with one boat atop the opposite, the underside boat moored to a concrete dock. Three individuals have been killed within the collision, and several other others have been injured. Whereas police didn’t initially reveal the ages of all of these on the 2 vessels concerned, the OPP later confirmed with Kingstonist that two youths have been aboard one of many boats, however weren’t critically injured within the incident.
After a prolonged investigation, the OPP confirmed with Kingstonist on October 29, 2024, that Splinter had been arrested in reference to the deadly crash. The next day, the Frontenac County OPP introduced the dozen charges in opposition to Splinter, that are:
Three counts of harmful operation of a conveyance inflicting deathThree counts of harmful operation of a conveyance inflicting bodily harmThree counts of impaired operation of a car inflicting deathThree counts of impaired operation of a car inflicting bodily hurt
A conviction of harmful operation of a conveyance inflicting dying can lead to a most sentence of life and a minimal sentence of 1 12 months in custody. The sentence is accompanied by a high quality from $1,000 to $6,000, in addition to six driver’s licence demerit factors.
A conviction of harmful operation of a conveyance inflicting bodily hurt can lead to a sentence of as much as 14 years imprisonment, a high quality of $1,000 to $6,000, and 6 driver’s licence demerit factors.
A conviction of impaired operation of a car inflicting dying carries a most sentence of life imprisonment and no minimal sentence.
A conviction of impaired operation of a car inflicting bodily hurt carries a most sentence of 14 years imprisonment, with a minimal of a two-year incarceration sentence.
Splinter is scheduled to seem in court docket once more in mid-January 2025.
Kingstonist will proceed to offer protection of this case because it strikes by the courts.
