Fun Bumper

The most creative and unusual beds designed for people who love to sleep

A man who threatened to skin and burn his mother alive and snapped her kitten's neck with his hands poses too great a risk to be released on bail, a judge said Tuesday.

Provincial court judge Chris Cleaveley denied bail for Michael Mercredi, who was arrested at his mother's house at Spences Bridge, about 132 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, on Nov. 29.

Mercredi is charged with uttering threats, although prosecutor Joel Gold told the court the Crown will also soon press animal-cruelty charges in relation to the killing of the kitten.

The court was told Mercredi's mother and two younger brothers have lived in fear of him for months.

Mercredi has threatened his family many times, the judge was told. Most recently, he threatened to skin his mother, burn her and throw her off the bridge if she did anything to threaten his freedom. He also said he would burn down their house, regardless of whether they were in it or not.

The RCMP was called by the Cook's Ferry band, which told officers they had a growing problem with a non-band member. Mercredi is a member of the Kamloops Indian Band.

When interviewed by police, the mother said she sometimes slept in her car with her youngest son because she was afraid to be in the house with Mercredi.

She described how he killed the family's kitten. He broke its neck with his hands after warning it not to scratch him, Gold told the judge. His brothers saw the killing and watched him leave the house to dispose of the body in an empty lot across the street.

The mother also told police her son killed an adult cat several days earlier, by strangling it and smashing its head against a wall, the judge was told.

Mercredi suffers mental instability, his family indicated to the police, but also uses drugs, the Crown lawyer noted.

"She wants him to get help," Gold said.

Defence lawyer Rob Bruneau, acting as duty counsel for the man, said Mercredi denies he killed the kitten. He also denies he is a risk to the public, saying his problems relate only to his family.

But Cleaveley said Mercredi poses too great a risk to his family to be released.

"He is a young man abusing drugs and alcohol, his life is really out of control," said the judge.

"He's a man who must be detained for the safety of his immediate family. He is out of control right now and poses a substantial risk to his family."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Read more: http://www.canada.com

Even Britney Spears pulls bridesmaid duty! Britney Spears was in rare maid-of-honor form this weekend at the wedding of her assisant, Brett Miller, to his partner, actor Frank Lionetti. Here are details...but why did Britney skip most of the wedding festivities?
Britney Spears flew into Miami Thursday for the Saturday wedding of her assistant and close friend, Brett Miller. The ceremony between Miller and Frank Lionetti took place at The Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach, with Britney and her boyfriend Jason Trawick receiving a lot of the audience's attention.

The money woes and development hell cannot keep 007 down. Earlier this month, James Bond got back on track when word hit that 'Bond 23' still had Sam Mendes gearing up to direct, and a not-so-far-off release date of Nov. 9, 2012. Since then, buzz has been on the rise, and
just days after word hit that Judi Dench would be returning to the franchise, Deadline now reveals that Javier Bardem has been offered a starring role in the film last week. Not as Bond himself, of course. That honor still belongs to Daniel Craig, who's ready to tackle the shnazzy icon for the third time.

The offered role is being kept under wraps, but it's not too hard to guess.

As Deadline notes, traditionally the leading male name goes to the villain of the film, and Bardem is certainly a go-to choice for bad guy, following his chilling work in 'No Country for Old Men.' But it all depends on timing and the actor's inclination, especially when just about any tough or villainous role seems to pass by his eyes first.

Rumors bubbled up recently that he might play the God of War in the 'Clash of the Titans' sequel, and now his name is all over the rumors for Ron Howard's 'Dark Tower' adaptation. But there's no telling which he'll go with. Bardem recently turned down a villainous role in 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,' for example.

So, which project should he choose? Is it time for Bond to face Bardem? Heck, could Bond even dream of besting Bardem? Offer up your thoughts in the comments below.

Seven high school students in suburban Philadelphia were arrested Monday following the kidnapping and assault of a 14-year-old, a local newspaper reported.
The victim had been hung from a fence post at an apartment complex, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood was quoted as saying by the Daily Times of Delaware County.

"We're dragging them out in handcuffs," Chitwood said of the suspects as the arrests were happening.

"We want to send home a message that this type of behavior will absolutely not be tolerated," he added. "They hanged this kid from a steel fence. We have the video of them actually hanging this kid from the fence."

The victim did not sustain physical injuries but he did suffer "extreme mental anguish," Chitwood said.

Video of the assault will be released at a press conference at 1 p.m. ET, he added.

The suspects, all 16 or 17 years old, attend the Upper Darby High School.

Many African-Americans have made significant contributions to American history. In honor of Black History Month , get the facts about some pioneers and see if you can figure out those who made their mark. Want a more hands-on history lesson? Check out these black history events across America.

The activists

From slave revolts  to the civil rights movement  to modern-day America, black history has been rich with activism. Find out more about the following activists, and see if you can guess others who played a role in American history.

The medical marvels

A Frenchman has filed suit against GlaxoSmithKline , claiming that the drug he took for Parkinson’s disease  turned him into a gay sex addict. How much is he seeking?