On the surface, the case against Justin King is unremarkable.
The 34-year-old is accused in a string of four break-and-enters in small towns along the north shore of Newfoundland’s Conception Bay. The prosecution said he’s shown a blatant disregard for release conditions in the past, and if granted bail, he will likely offend again. The RCMP in the region have dubbed him a “prolific offender.”
King has not yet entered a plea. Locals in the region were strongly opposed to his release, saying the brazen robberies he’s accused of left them feeling unsafe in their own homes.
If you scroll through the province’s court dockets, there are dozens of cases like King’s — property offences followed by long lists of breaches of conditions.
But King caught national attention this week when Judge Andrew Wadden granted him a conditional release while awaiting trial, and took the opportunity to make a statement on the wider movement for bail reform.
“The percentage of people in Canada in pre-trial detention continues to go up, yet the demand for bail reform continues to grow louder,” Wadden said. “These two things are obviously at odds.”
Wadden called out what he views as “inflammatory rhetoric, such as ‘jail not bail,’ or ‘catch and release,’” phrases commonly used by Conservative politicians pushing for reform.
Sitting in the courtroom, Cassie Kelloway was stunned.
Police allege her family home was burglarized by King in early January. Much of her dead mother’s jewelry was stolen, never to be returned.
Kelloway has since become a vocal proponent of Bill C-242, the Conservative motion to tighten bail restrictions across Canada.
“There are more people out there like Justin King that are being given the same chances over and over and over again,” she said. “And it needs to stop because people are living in fear.”
More than 200 homes were destroyed in a string of fires in the Conception Bay North region over the spring and summer of 2025. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)
Her sentiments are echoed by many residents living in Conception Bay North — a region that went through devastation over the summer, when a string of suspicious fires destroyed nearly 200 homes. In the wake of the fire, a spike in property crime caused fury in these small towns.
King’s court appearances have been packed full of people hoping to see him held behind bars while awaiting trial. There was shock in the crowd on Tuesday when Wadden granted him bail.
But Wadden’s decision stressed there’s a difference between the feelings of community members — influenced by what he described as high-profile “releases gone wrong” — and what courts across Canada are actually seeing.
The real problem in the bail system is that it’s enormously overused.- Catherine Latimer, John Howard Society of Canada
Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society of Canada, applauded Wadden for taking a stance.
“I’m so grateful to the judge for making those points,” she told CBC News on Wednesday. “John Howard Society is very concerned about the problems in the bail system and it’s a policy priority for us to try and draw attention to the real problems in the bail system.”
The real problem, she said, is the complete opposite of the issues highlighted by the bail reform movements being pushed by both Liberal and Conservative politicians.
“The real problem in the bail system is that it’s enormously overused,” Latimer said. “About 48 per cent of all our prisoners across the country are in pretrial detention and have not been convicted of an offence. And this is tremendously high in terms of international comparisons.”
Canada’s rate of prisoners on remand is nearly double that of the United States, which sits at around 25 per cent.
Her Majesty’s Penitentiary was built in the 1850s, and is known for its crumbling infrastructure and persistent rodent problems. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press)
Latimer said it’s causing a massive strain on the correctional system. It’s being felt especially hard in provincial institutions, where an estimated 70 per cent of inmates are on remand and not convicted of any crime.
Take Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s. The facility is chronically over capacity, with cots set up in the gymnasium to house the overflow of inmates.
Shakir Rahim, director of the criminal justice program with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said that kind of environment doesn’t promote public safety at all.
“They’re not coming out in a state that is good for the community at large,” Rahim said. “They’ve been disconnected from employment, from family, from friends. They might be coming out with new physical and mental health challenges.”
Shakir Rahim is the director of the criminal justice program with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. (CBC)
The federal government has put forward Bill C-14, legislation that would restrict bail for a range of people accused of crimes. It passed a third reading in February, and is currently before the Senate for review.
Both Rahim and Latimer said the bill won’t make communities any safer. They believe it will have an opposite effect. Latimer said the John Howard Society has had a hard time getting the government to really listen to their input.
“I think your judge pointed out the significant problem, which is that the rhetoric inflames public opinion. Politicians are susceptible to addressing public opinions,” Latimer said. “So no, they’re not really receptive to the true problems in the bail system.”
Latimer said governments need to fundamentally change the way they address corrections, and focus on the root causes of criminality — such as mental health, addictions and homelessness.
“That’s where we should be really focusing our efforts to meet their needs in the community so they don’t default into the criminal justice system.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham said he’d like to see an overhaul of the criminal justice system. (Patrick Butler/CBC)
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham was asked about the issue on Wednesday, and said he would like to see a “revamp” of the entire justice system.
He said his government has invested not just in more police officers, but also more mental health professionals to promote public safety.
Wakeham was asked if the province is prepared for an increase of inmates on remand if the Liberals’ bail reform laws come into force. He pointed to a new prison in the early stages of construction in St. John’s — which will feature 395 beds, an increase over the capacity of 195 at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.
“Hopefully we’ll have enough capacity in our new penitentiary to deal with it,” Wakeham said.
As for Kelloway, she hopes King will take the chance given to him in being granted bail and run with it.
But she isn’t holding her breath.
“I hope I’m wrong,” she said. “I truly, truly hope I’m wrong.”
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