Steven Truscott

Steven Truscott was a Canadian man who was convicted in 1959 of the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper in Ontario.

Steven Truscott was a Canadian man who was convicted in 1959 of the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper in Ontario. He was later acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2007, which described the conviction as a miscarriage of justice. Truscott was 14 years old at the time of his conviction and was initially sentenced to hang, making him the youngest person sentenced to death in Canada.

Early life and trial

Steven Truscott was a teenager from Ontario when he was charged in connection with the death of his classmate Lynne Harper in 1959. He was convicted after a trial and received a death sentence, which was later commuted.

Imprisonment and parole

After his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, Truscott spent about 10 years in prison before being released on parole in 1969. The case remained controversial for decades.

Appeal and acquittal

In 2007, the Ontario Court of Appeal reviewed the case and concluded that the conviction could not stand. The court quashed the conviction and entered an acquittal, calling the outcome a miscarriage of justice.

Aftermath and compensation

Following the acquittal, Truscott received an apology from government officials and financial compensation. His case became one of Canada’s best-known wrongful conviction cases.