CRIME WATCH
Yes, Ladies, He Is Available
In Regina, "a Somali refugee has been sentenced to time in jail for a protracted beating during which he whipped his sister repeatedly with a power cord [early reports mention an iron was also employed to bring the girl to heel] and threatened to shave off her hair to punish her for sneaking out of the house to celebrate her birthday at a club. Ibrahim Osman, 23, pleaded guilty on Monday to assault causing bodily harm for the attack on his sister. Their mother, Shaffiga Hussein, is also charged with assaulting the girl in the same incident. Her matter remains before the courts. Sentencing Osman on Monday, Provincial Court Judge Kenn Bellerose said the case is one where the courts need to send a message that the girl is free to celebrate her birthday within the law — just as Osman is free to practise his religious beliefs in a lawful way. 'That's why she came to this country. That's why you came to this country: Freedom to do what you want within the law,' he said. ... Police officers dispatched to a Cavendish Street house in November arrived to find the girl crying and obviously injured, with a badly swollen lip and cheek. The girl's sister told police that, when the teen arrived home from school, her brother pulled her inside the house, locked the door and began punching and kicking her and hitting her with a power cord. Osman eventually told the girl to go shower and said he was going to shave her head. [Crown prosecutor Connie] Hottinger said the girl had 20-25 whip marks on her back, and was treated in hospital for her injuries. She is currently in foster care.
Defence lawyer Dave Armstrong said the family are refugees from Somalia, and spent 14 years in a refugee camp before coming to Regina two years ago. Osman told his lawyer this kind of matter would have been dealt with differently in the refugee camp. ... Armstrong said Osman is also struggling because he is going blind. Osman's mother spoke briefly in court, saying her son had never been in trouble before, and she believes the steroid medication he is taking for his eyes has had an impact on his behaviour. ... Osman also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his mother during another incident a month ago, and admitted two charges of mischief for damaging cells at the city police station and the provincial courthouse in Regina. Osman has been in jail since his arrest on the threatening charge last month. Bellerose imposed two months more for the assault, and one month consecutive for the threat. The jail term will be followed by 12 months of probation with a number of conditions, during which Osman will have to take substance abuse counselling, anger management programming and not have any contact with his sister." (Regina Leader-Post, February 9, 2010)
An earlier Leader-Post report dated October 1-- that's about a month before she allegedly participated in the honour beating of her daughter -- starts like this: "Shaffiga Hussein, an immigrant from Somalia, was losing hope until training provided at the Regina Open Door Society helped her land a job." How touching to see that the entire Can-West newspaper network, along with various settlement organizations, have scrubbed this awkward feel good story from the web. Now, it may be that Regina harbours more than one Somali female named Shaffiga Hussein, but the important thing is that we helped.
[This article appears in the Mach, 2010 issue of the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE. Published monthly, the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can subscribe by sending a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE, P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.]
