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	'Unheard Of' Jail Decision Surprises Lawyer By Eva Hoare The Chronicle-Herald May 5, 2011 http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1241783.html A Roman Catholic bishop's decision to go to jail before he was sentenced on pornography charges is "unheard of," says a Halifax criminal lawyer. "This is pretty dramatic," Mark Knox said after learning that Bishop Raymond Lahey had asked to go to prison immediately. Lahey, 70, who once led the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, pleaded guilty Wednesday in an Ottawa courtroom to importing child pornography. His lawyer told the court that Lahey felt great remorse, was giving up his right to be released pending sentencing and wanted to start serving his time immediately. "That's unheard of, isn't it? It's unconventional . . . to have that happen. He chose to do it, he brought it on," said Knox, a member of the Canadian Prison Law Association. The Halifax lawyer has also been president of the prisoners' reform group, Seven Steps of Nova Scotia. Lahey's decision to go immediately to jail "may be as a result of feeling great remorse," Knox said. "It must have been difficult, according to what we see in the media, . . . to be in the community, too. (Who) is more notorious now in Canada than him? Wherever he goes (while free on bail), he's got to go through this mountain of people." As a result, starting his sentence right away was likely a plausible alternative, said Knox. Otherwise, he said there is little to be gained from entering prison early. "You're not getting any additional credit by going in now. He's going to get a little credit but it's going to be straight credit, a day for a day," the lawyer said. "Either you start it now because of personal decisions or you wait until your sentencing." Lahey, who's been living in Ottawa pending his court date, was found with 588 child porn images on his laptop, videos and stories. Police discovered the porn after border agents detained him at the Ottawa International Airport following a trip from London in 2009. Lahey, whose passport showed that he'd been to Thailand, Indonesia, Asia and Germany, had been out on $9,000 bail. Contact: ehoare@herald.ca
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