Tyler Jack Newton
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November 03, 2022 - 11:09 AM
Assault charges against a Central Okanagan man, who killed a man while on a Kelowna bus in a separate incident, have been stayed.
Last week, a Liberal MLA criticized the NDP using Tyler Newton as an example of a “catch and release” horror story in the province. Newton was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in relation to an incident dating back to December, 2021.
He was later released, leading to criticism from Vancouver-Capilano MLA Karin Kirkpatrick who called him a “dangerous, high-risk criminal.”
Dan McLaughlin, communications counsel with the B.C. Prosecution Service, said charges against him were stayed Oct. 28 but the Crown is still proceeding against the co-accused.
“The charges against Mr. Newton were stayed when the Crown with conduct of the case received new information that caused them to conclude that the charge assessment standard for proceeding with charges was no longer met,” McLaughlin said via email.
Crown counsel must objectively verify all available evidence against whether there is a substantial likelihood of conviction and if so, whether the public interest.
“This two-part test continues to apply throughout the prosecution. In this case the Crown concluded the standard was no longer met for Mr. Newton and the charges were stayed,” McLaughlin said.
READ MORE: Kelowna transit killer back behind bars after breaching parole conditions
Newton was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for the unprovoked murder of Caesar Rosales while travelling on a Kelowna transit bus in 2014.
In 2019, he was granted statutory release from prison but ran afoul of the conditions set out for him by the Parole Board of Canada and his freedom was suspended.
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