Rhino’s Ramblings - Sitting At An Inquest
By Robert Thomas - Opinion/Commentary
As I sit through the inquest into the death of Jeremy Jason Sabourin I am totally overcome with all that went wrong.
All of the procedures missed or ignored during Jeremy’s short incarceration.
It is a short period of incarceration that is filled with a plethora of mistakes and errors. A plethora that somehow allowed Jeremy to smuggle a gun into the Moose Jaw Police Services’ holding cells.
Certainly it’s obvious Jeremy took his own life but what’s missing is the fact that once someone is taken into custody it’s the police’s responsibility to protect them.
It does not matter what they are charged with but rather they are under the police’s custody and entitled to there full protection.
In that duty it’s obvious that members of the MJPS and RCMP failed miserably in that duty.
A failure that contributed to Jeremy’s death.
A seven question questionnaire where only two questions were answered - a spinal injury a year prior and negative when it came to Hepatitis C.
The question not answered dealt with if the prisoner was suicidal.
It was a question not answered.
It’s a question or rather lack of an answer which should have set of alarm bells if there was a policy. But sadly there wasn’t.
And that is what missed in all of this - what kind of person was Jeremy Sabourin?
I can only base my feelings on this on my own observations and what my limited speaking to relatives living in the area told me.
Jeremy may have had his passion for guns but what I’ve heard he is more in love with going to the lake and fishing.
From relatives I’m told Jeremy was the kind of person who might be heading down the road but he would always stop to give people a hand.
He was a nice respectful man that enjoyed the afternoon at the lake fishing.
As I sit through the inquest I see Jeremy’s family sitting here at the inquest respectfully when if it was my child who had gone through this I would be throwing chairs.
That is how hurtful this entire entire inquest is. It is no longer about Jeremy as a person.
It’s almost like lawyers trying to avoid blame.
On Day Three Jeremy’s mother is asking questions about how the family was informed about his passing.
It’s an inquest that for most has long ago forgotten who Jeremy is - anyone’s son.
All that is left of humanity throughout the questions and answers of the inquest is Jeremy’s mother letting us all know he is still loved.