CAPTAIN BRAVE – JUDGE FRED MYERS

Normally these blogs deal with matters touching on the work of Wills and Estate Lawyers and Estate Litigation Lawyers. This blog is quite different. We have written many times about the no nonsense decisions of Ontario Superior Court Judge Fred Meyers. If you want to learn further about him, just use the search function on our website. However, what I did not know and had largely been kept under wraps was his quick-witted decision that avoided what could have been a catastrophe in his court. The incident which took place on August 16, 2019 has largely been kept under wraps for various reasons and it was only recently revealed in a recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision. Judge Myers was sitting on a family law case when the unhappy ex-husband chillingly told everyone that he was leaving the courthouse with his child, despite the fact that he did not have custody. He then went on to state that the laptop computer he had brought into the courthouse was actually a bomb and that if anyone attempted to interfere with him it would explode. He insisted that his daughter would be put on a plane to Turkey within two hours and then he would be taken to the airport with the various court staff as his hostages. Judge Fred Myers then perpetrated a ruse after he secretly hit the panic button that all judges have, which also initiated a 911 call. He indicated surreptitiously to the police on the 911 call what was happening. While everyone from the courtroom scrambled away Judge Fred Myers remained calm and collected, ducked under his heavy wooden bench and braced for a blast. The staff were terrified and traumatized, but Myers ensured that he was the last to leave. The Police arrived and the unhappy father was arrested. He had brought with him duct tape and zip ties to restrain people. Fortunately, the bomb was a fake and the father was heavily penalized for his terroristic behaviour. Despite the fact that he had no criminal record and an excellent job in Canada he was eventually handed a nine-year prison sentence, which was affirmed by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The bomb plot revealed a lack of security measures to screen for such devices, which apparently has been remedied, and it is part of the reason for the delay in this matter being publicized. Once again Judge Fred Myers has shown his mettle, ability to lead and stay cool under the most strenuous of circumstances. Well done to Justice Myers who has since gone supernumerary – i.e. semi retired.