The decision to post images and audio of the witness to Instagram was a “stupid, reckless, interference with the administration of justice,” a Toronto judge found. By Betsy PowellCourts ReporterSat., April 29, 20235 min. readIn a case that appears unprecedented in Canada, three men have been sentenced for posting the image and audio of a key Crown witness in a Toronto murder case to a series of Instagram accounts with a total of more than 500,000 followers.“These are not simple, mischievous pranks that will go unpunished,” Ontario Court Judge Phil Downes said, describing the case as an opportunity to send a strong message of deterrence that, as the courts embrace online video conferencing, “this type of abuse will not be tolerated.”Kyle Stephens, 22, Ryan Taylor, 34, and Mohammed Abdalla, 26, all pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice last fall and apologized Thursday for posting the images and audio of the witness, who was testifying via Zoom at a preliminary hearing in a first-degree murder case. Those proceedings — held to determine if there’s enough evidence to commit the accused to trial — were subject to a standard publication ban.Although Downes found the men had no “concerted desire” to intimidate the
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Men sentenced for Instagram posts outing Toronto murder witness | The Star
