After a Crown attorney was allegedly attacked by a man in leg shackles in Peterborough, a police chief, a legal organization and an NDP MPP are urging the Doug Ford government to make Ontario courtrooms safer.

The 30-year-old man was charged with assault following the incident, which took place during a dangerous offender hearing at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Feb. 17, according to the Peterborough Police Service.

Police allege the man jumped out of the prisoner’s box and assaulted the female Crown attorney at about 11:20 a.m. that day. The Crown attorney did not require medical attention.

Police said special constables subdued the man and took him into custody. He was brought back to the Central East Correctional Centre in Kawartha Lakes, Ont. On Wednesday, he was returned to court and charged with assault.

A new prisoner’s box with a plexiglass barrier has been agreed upon, Peterborough Police Chief Stuart Betts said in a news release on Friday.

But courtroom safety in the city northeast of Toronto is has been a problem for some time, he said.

“As the organization responsible for courtroom safety, the issue of the prisoner box in this courtroom has been an ongoing concern,” Betts said.

“I have expressed my concern about the court facilities here on more than one occasion,” he added. While he is pleased with the temporary plexiglass measure, Betts said it was “concerning” that the incident could have happened.

Lesley Pasquino, president of the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association, said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Here and Now on Friday that the association has written a letter to Attorney General Doug Downey to ask for a provincewide security strategy.

The association wants minimum safety standards for Crown attorneys and the province’s 54 courthouses. Those standards would include security staff at all times and point of entry security.

‘A shock’

Pasquino said the incident happened while the Crown attorney was addressing the judge. The prisoner’s box was within arms length of the Crown attorney with no plexiglass in front. The prisoner, after leaping out of the box, allegedly made contact with the Crown attorney from behind and pinned her against the counsel table.

She said the Crown attorney was frightened and felt sore after the incident, but continued to work. The same Crown attorney has raised safety concerns about the prisoner’s box since 2016 but no action was taken, she added.

“It was a shock, and obviously, a very harrowing experience. And it’s a concern for all of us who do this work,” Pasquino said.

“When you are a Crown prosecutor, you are prosecuting people who are often charged with violent offences. We need to know that we’re safe in the courtroom, safe in the courthouse, and safe when we leave the courthouse. That didn’t happen in this case.”

In a statement on Friday, Jack Fazzari, spokesperson for Attorney General Doug Downey, said the ministry is reviewing the association’s letter and its contents.

“Upholding and improving courthouse security is a core responsibility that we take very seriously— and that’s underscored by the fact that we have continued to strengthen the safety and security of everyone who enters Ontario’s courthouses,” Fazzari said.

“This includes improving screening capacity by investing in modern technology and equipment and supporting targeted upgrades to reinforce courthouse facilities.”

Fazzari added the ministry will continue working with “the Ministry of the Solicitor General, municipal leaders, the judiciary, local police services, and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to ensure that all court locations have the necessary security measures in place.”

Ontario courtrooms need funding, NDP MPP says

NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, Official Opposition critic for the attorney general, said in a news release on Friday that it’s “absurd” that it took an assault to make a simple fix.

“For years, we have called on the Ford government to give Ontario’s court rooms the funding they need to provide a safe environment for everyone. The Conservatives’ continued refusal to do so has resulted in charges being thrown out, reduced sentences for serious offenders, and now this,” Wong-Tam said.

“Ford and Attorney General Downey need to start taking this seriously before something even worse happens.”