Government Announces Compensation for Randy Druken

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, today announced that government has reached agreement on compensation for Mr. Randy Druken.

�Government has been engaged in discussions with the lawyer for Mr. Druken regarding a reasonable measure of compensation. I am pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement on an amount of $2 million to compensate Mr. Druken for his wrongful conviction in 1995 for the death of Brenda Young,� said Minister Marshall.

�This amount is within the scope of compensation received by wrongfully convicted persons in Canada,� said Minister Marshall. �Mr. Druken spent more than six years in prison in relation to Brenda Young�s murder. However, Commissioner Antonio Lamer concluded that Randy Druken should never have been charged with the murder of Brenda Young and there was no reliable evidence on which to base his prosecution. Government accepts Commissioner Lamer�s findings and acknowledges that the prosecution of Randy Druken should not have occurred.

�Upon release of the Lamer Inquiry Report, I apologized to Mr. Druken, on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, for the events that have transpired,� continued Minister Marshall. �Our hope is that this ex-gratia payment, together with the knowledge that government is implementing recommendations of the Lamer Inquiry Report, will bring closure.�

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Media contact:
Bill Hickey
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 691-6390
billyhickey@gov.nl.ca