Court considers mercy killing

Ottawa - The Supreme Court of Canada yesterday began weighing up whether a father convicted of murdering his daughter should …

Ottawa - The Supreme Court of Canada yesterday began weighing up whether a father convicted of murdering his daughter should have a shorter sentence because she was disabled and in pain.

The fact that Mr Robert Latimer killed his daughter Tracy (12) in 1993 by piping exhaust fumes into his pickup truck is not in doubt.

The Saskatchewan farmer argues he did it to end her suffering and his lawyers argue it would be cruel and unusual punishment to give him the minimum 10 years, without parole, that second-degree murder requires. The court is likely to take months to reach a decision.