Ontario judge decries justice system for prioritizing foreign-born criminals over their Canadian victims

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Omeire had promised the woman “that her life would be completely decimated by the next day,” said the judge, noting she “practically begged the accused not to send the explicit video.”

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She paid Omeire the $50 but he “posted the sexually explicit video anyway,” Skarica said. He noted the woman had a gag in her mouth in the video Omeire posted on his private Snapchat story.

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Omeire “told K.B. that eleven people had viewed the intimate image, and seven people had replied,” said the decision. “The victim indicated, ‘This is blackmail,’ and the accused said it was not blackmail; it was torture.”

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Omeire “was subsequently arrested and released on bail but violated the release terms by continuing to contact the complainant.”

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The judge found that Omeire “intentionally violated K.B.’s dignity in a variety of ways in transmitting or threatening to transmit the intimate image.”

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Omeire told her “that her life would be decimated. She would not recognize her life.”

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Skarica concluded that Omeire “intentionally used the intimate image to frighten and psychologically torment the victim in an attempt to strip her of her dignity. Accordingly, the accused flagrantly, cruelly, and deliberately invaded her reasonable expectation of privacy in the intimate image he distributed” on March 15, 2023.

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Omeire, who was born in Lagos, had been an international student in Canada since 2014.

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His sister and two brothers followed him to Canada, but his parents live in Nigeria.

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Omeire doesn’t work, but he “started his own online ministry” in 2023, said the decision. His father still supports him.

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He had been studying chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo, but Omeire’s studies are “on hold in his third year due to the matter before the court.”

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The judge questioned “what serious student takes nine years to obtain a four-year degree?”

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Omeire “had a marijuana use problem from 2016 up until 2023,” said the decision. “He stopped smoking marijuana in 2023 and has no issues with alcohol or illicit drugs.”

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Omeire failed to leave Canada in 2023 when his study permit expired, said the decision. “The accused currently has no legal status in Canada, and has a removal order.”

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His parents and sisters asked the judge “for a conditional discharge to enable the accused to complete his studies,” said the decision. “The parents indicate between 2016 and 2021 the accused was hospitalized for drug-induced psychosis and bipolar disorder.”

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A letter from Omeire’s parents indicated that “during his three years on bail he dedicated himself to God, walking the streets to evangelize and mentoring young people to avoid the traps that led to his own mistakes. Even now in the correctional facility, he continues to minister to fellow inmates. He is a man of faith seeking redemption not a career criminal.”

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Omeire’s parents note a “sentence of six months or more would strip him of his right to appeal his removal on humanitarian grounds. We passionately plead for a conditional discharge. This is the only path that allows his legal team to argue for a stay in Canada, enabling him to remain in our care to manage his psychosis and finally complete his degree at the University of Waterloo. To deport him now would permanently erase the decades of sacrifice and the hundreds of thousands of dollars we have invested in education.”

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The “character they portray,” said the judge, “is totally at odds with the evidence of the accused’s character and actions proved at this trial beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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K.B. described Omeira as “forceful, stern, manipulative, and that he thinks he is above everyone else,” said the decision. “She reports that the accused is emotionally and verbally abusive towards her, and also, he became physically abusive. Both her and the police indicate that the victim has safety concerns and is fearful for her safety.”