Man Suing Province For Extended Stay In Custody

Man Suing Province For Extended Stay In Custody

Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 15:40

 

 

The provincial government has been hit with a lawsuit after a northern Saskatchewan man was wrongfully imprisoned for four-and-a-half months.

 

19-year-old Kyle Dufresne of the Big Island Lake Cree Nation is hoping to recover financial compensation after corrections officials accidently mixed up the dates of his sentence.

 

He was only supposed to serve 45 days, but ended up spending six months in jails at Regina and Prince Albert.

 

His lawyer, Ron Piche, says the ordeal was very hard on his client.

 

Corrections Minister Darryl Hickie has apologized to Dufresne for the mixup and has offered $9,500 in compensation.

 

Piche says that amount is “laughable”, and his client will be seeking much more.

 

So far, Piche hasn’t decided on what amount his client should receive.

 

However, he says it will be significant.

 

Piche notes most cases of unlawful confinement are for an extra week or two, not four-and-a-half months.