Charges have been withdrawn against an Ontario man accused of assaulting an alleged home intruder last August in a case that attracted significant political attention.
Kawartha police reported at the time that the man woke up in his Lindsay apartment in the middle of the night on Aug. 18 to find an intruder.
They said an altercation left the intruder seriously injured and requiring hospitalization.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, while the alleged intruder was charged with several offences including break and enter and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
The case generated widespread interest, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford saying the decision to charge the apartment resident showed “something is broken.”
The Crown says that after reviewing the circumstances of the case and requirements for self-defence under the Criminal Code, there is no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction.