TORONTO, July 23, 2003 – Members of the Innocence Project at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School welcomed the Ontario Superior Court decision to release Romeo Phillion on bail.

Ontario Superior Court Justice David Watt released Phillion, 64, pending a decision from federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon on whether Phillion's 1972 conviction for the murder of Ottawa firefighter Leopold Roy should be overturned.

The Innocence Project, a clinical program that involves law students in the investigation of cases of suspected wrongful conviction, championed Mr. Phillion’s case from the outset. Since March 1998, more than 40 law students in the group have been involved in investigating the 31-year-old conviction of Phillion. Key evidence surfaced that year confirming that Phillion was not even in Ottawa at the time of the 1967 murder. With the assistance of mentor James Lockyer, the group filed an application to Minister Cauchon in May for Phillion’s exoneration, prompting the minister to order a review of the case.

"I am extremely proud of the work of our students and their tireless efforts to investigate what appears to be a shocking miscarriage of justice," said Dianne Martin, director of the Innocence Project. "This demonstrates the vital role played by advocacy groups in a justice system that is clearly not foolproof. The Innocence Project is training our next generation of Osgoode lawyers to be aware of the shortcomings in the system."

Martin has described the Phillion case as having all of the features of a classic wrongful conviction -- a terrible crime, a marginal accused and suspect evidence.

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Members of the Innocence Project are available to provide comments to media upon request.  Please contact:

Nancy J. White
Director of Media Relations
York University
416-736-5603
whiten@yorku.ca

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