An 18-year-old with severe fetal alcohol spectrum disorder accused of running drivers off the road in a stolen truck was among those denied release during recent bail hearings in Winnipeg.
Court heard the man, who started drinking when he was eight, was awaiting a meeting to get set up with community supports when he was arrested in September — and he was also on a probation order that forbade him from being in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, after being convicted of similar crimes.
A judge denied the man bail, saying while he had empathy for his situation, "it's a risk analysis" — and even the ankle monitor proposed by the man’s lawyer "is not going to solve his impulsiveness," which court heard is common among people with FASD.
"If he decides to go and steal a car, he's capable of doing that — and he's done it."
CBC News went to bail court to learn more about who gets released, who doesn’t and why.
During two days of hearings in Winnipeg’s two dedicated contested bail courtrooms, seven accused people appeared onscreen from custody, as a judge listened to lawyers argue why each person should or shouldn’t be released as their case moves through the courts.
Of those seven, only two who applied for bail were released.
The hearings come amid growing calls for changes to bail, which recently culminat
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