Arson suspect says cops coerced confession
Sentencing hearing for Joshua Daniel Grant Burden, 49, of no fixed address, derailed when defendant denies torching sporting-goods store but demands to be sentenced anyway
A homeless man screamed and ranted during a court appearance Thursday - calling the presiding judge a “whore” - while demanding to be sentenced for a crime he said he didn’t commit.
Joshua Daniel Grant Burden, 49, of no fixed address, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video conference from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Thursday afternoon for a sentencing hearing.
He had pleaded guilty earlier this month to an Oct. 12 count of uttering threats, an Oct. 24 offence of uttering threats to a police officer, an Oct. 29 instance of arson at MacTavish’s Source for Sports on Queen Street and three related counts of probation violation.