Civic leaders stoked hatred of Umar Zameer after Toronto police officer's death: lawyer
CBC
After weeks of evidence in court and several tense days of jury deliberations, Umar Zameer is a free man — and his lawyer isn't mincing words about the politicians who rushed to demonize his client after he initially got bail back in 2021.
Nader Hasan was one of two lawyers who represented Zameer in court after the death of Toronto police officer Det.-Const. Jeffrey Northrup almost three years ago.
Speaking on CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday, Hasan lamented the response from politicians like Ontario's premier and Toronto's former mayor who rushed to judgment before any evidence was presented at trial, as well as comments from the police chief on Sunday stating he wished for a different outcome.
Hasan said that back in 2021 when Zameer was initially charged, his office was receiving hate mail, even death threats, for "having the audacity to take on this case.
"That hatred had been stoked by elected officials and by the chief of police himself," Hasan said.
James Ramer, who was chief of Toronto police at the time of Zameer's arrest, initially called Northrup's death an "intentional and deliberate act" — something the jury rejected over the weekend.
WATCH | Zameer's lawyer looks back at emotional trial:
In a responding statement from 2021 posted on X, formerly Twitter, Premier Doug Ford called the court's decision to grant Zameer bail "beyond comprehension.
"It's completely unacceptable that the person charged for this heinous crime is now out on bail," Ford said — though his initial statement went ever further and called Zameer "the person responsible" for Northrup's death, before walking that statement back by deleting and reposting with the words "responsible for" swapped for "charged with."
Former Toronto mayor John Tory, meanwhile, said it was "almost impossible to imagine a circumstance in which an accused in a case of first-degree murder would be granted bail."
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also tweeted at the time, saying in part: "This is disgusting. It is very disturbing that the person charged for this heinous crime is now out on bail."
Hasan said Monday that those comments were ignorant, and came from people who should know better.
"The presumption of innocence is one of the pillars of our criminal justice system," he said. "And for politicians to spout off and sentence a man and condemn a man who is presumed innocent without knowing any true details of the case — it is reckless, it is irresponsible.
"Canadians deserve and expect more from their elected officials."
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This First Person column is the experience of Mehdi M. Kashani, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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