Case of accused killer in London, Ont. attack put over
The man accused of deliberately driving into a Muslim family in London, Ont., killing four and injuring a fifth, made a brief court appearance Thursday morning.
Nathaniel Veltman, 20, who faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, appeared via video in an orange jumpsuit and mask.
The appearance lasted less than five minutes as the case was put over until Monday.
The court heard Veltman needs to apply for legal aid and when asked about legal representation by Hardy & Associates, Veltman said, "I have only spoken to them."
However, as of early Thursday afternoon, Damon Hardy tells CTV News London he is not the lawyer of record and has not been retained.
Fraser Ball and Gen Moser are the Crown attorneys handling the case.
The courtroom was closed to the public and a publication ban has been put in place on the proceedings.
Relatives have identified the deceased as 46-year-old Salman Afzaal, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Salman and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal.
The couple's son, nine-year-old Fayez, was seriously wounded but is expected to recover.
Police have said the attack on Sunday night was a planned and premeditated act that targeted Muslims.
None of the charges have yet been proven in court.
The London Muslim Mosque, which the family belonged to, has called for a national summit on Islamophobia between all levels of government.
Prominent local lawyer speaks
A London lawyer and member of the Muslim community, Faisal Joseph, was at the courthouse to see the proceedings first hand, though he is not involved in the case.
"So I came down here personally but for me it was more emotional. When you see the accused you have to suppress any negative feelings and I was trying to be uplifted by remembering what had occurred at the rally at the Mosque and thousands of people coming together and unifying to stamp out any type of hate anywhere in the city."
Observing the proceedings, Joseph says the suspect, "was small in stature, he didn't appear like he was concerned, he was quite stoic, so that surprised me a little bit. It wasn't what I expected to see."
Veltman was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance.
Joseph says the proceedings could be a lengthy process, and the publication ban is typical in these kinds of cases.
"He’s got to retain counsel. Once that starts the legal process starts. There will be motions there will be preliminary inquiries, there will be judicial pre-trials, there will be meetings with the Crown. If he doesn’t plead guilty, the accused, then in this case it’s going to take probably two to three years to go through the entire system."
Joseph says many tears have been shed in his household in recent days, as his family grapples with what happened.
"You would think nothing good can come out of something so horrific, but if we’re able to stamp out hatred and hate crimes and Islamophobia and any hatred of any group this will be a legacy for those people that paid the ultimate price for going for a walk with their family during COVID."
If you need mental health help in the wake of the London, Ont. vehicle attack, support and resources are available here.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.