The location was a cramped one-bedroom basement apartment in the city’s west end. Those responsible for the horrific abuse were the man’s own wife and her new boyfriend. Bleeding wounds cauterized with hot knives or sewn up with a needle and thread. Pins pierced through his lips, sealing his mouth. Cartilage ripped from his ears with a pair of pliers. Lighter fluid poured over his skin, and then set on fire. His body cut with razor blades and beaten with hammers and broom handles until they broke. It took 75 minutes Thursday for Crown Attorney Paul Leishman to read aloud in court the 25 pages detailing one of the most heinous crimes in Toronto’s history - one man, confined to a closet and brutally tortured, physically, sexually and psychologically, over the course of three months.
Warning: This story contains graphic material that may disturb some readers.
