Toronto man appealing sex assault conviction says judge was biased
TORONTO — A judge who referenced research on gendered violence in convicting a Toronto man of sexual assault appeared to be biased against him, the man’s lawyers alleged Tuesday at his appeal hearing.
Lawyers for Mustafa Ururyar argued their client deserves a new trial on seven grounds, including allegations that Justice Marvin Zuker’s reading on topics such as rape and domestic violence “clouded his objective view of the evidence.”
Any time a judge approaches a case with preconceived notions, even if those are based on compassion for sexual assault complainants, it raises “very serious concerns,” Mark Halfyard told the court.
Ururyar is appealing his July 2016 conviction in the sexual assault of Mandi Gray, a fellow PhD student at York University with whom he had a casual relationship.