Posted on 10/18/2002 5:45:54 AM PDT by Lorenb420
A former U of T employee apparently lost his head and stole four brains, one hand and a foot from the university, then sold them for $500 to an antique dealer, court heard yesterday.
Sheepish organ pedlar Vinkent Pang pleaded guilty to a mischief charge in a "bizarre and horrific" case, which prosecutor Calvin Barry said is "like something right out of a movie.
"I think it was spur-of-the-moment stupidity," Barry said of Pang's actions.
Noting that there's no evidence he's behaved this way before, Justice Joseph Bovard said Pang's not a danger and imposed a conditional discharge and a year of probation with an order not to set foot on the U of T campus. Pang also must do 100 hours of community service.
Pang made an unsolicited $5,000 donation to the university and apologized for his actions, which have resulted in personal humiliation, getting fired from his job and arrested in front of coworkers.
FLEA MARKET
"I feel really bad," Pang said. "I apologize."
Barry said Pang got into the pickle in April 2001 when the preserved body parts -- including a gunshot brain and a hand with leprosy -- were discovered for sale in Yank Azman's Queen's Quay W. flea market and were tracked back to him.
Court heard that the brains, hand and foot were part of the U of T's William Boyd Museum. Barry explained that the university receives donations of human body parts for teaching and research. They are immersed in formaldehyde and stored in an enclosed display unit. Some of them dated back to the early 1930s. He said that in early March 2001 the museum was dismantled and specimens were either slated for destruction or moved on for teaching purposes.
The body parts that were marked for destruction were to be disposed of by a private contractor, then cremated and buried in St. James cemetery, Barry said.
SOLD EXHIBITS
Court heard that Pang was a U of T biochemistry graduate who was employed by the university for 11 years, working his way to the position of radiation safety inspector and had access to the collection during the decommission. He removed several exhibits and sold some of them to Azman, Barry said.
A woman spied them in Azman's booth, realized what they were and tipped police. Azman offered to sell the items for $1,000 to an undercover cop. Barry said Azman was arrested but the charges were withdrawn after he gave a statement and identified Pang.
Pang's lawyer Edwin Boeve said his client did not realize the body parts would be sold. He said when Pang heard of Azman's arrest he panicked and threw the rest of the organs he stole -- some livers and more brains -- in a dumpster.
Barry said families donated the body parts for research and "not to have their loved ones' remains show up at an antiques flea market."
Do you also say Frowderick?
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Everyone knows a Liberal has no brain, a'tall.
...nevermind, access to four.
Total liberal BS. Having never murdered anyone before I guess my first one should be a freebe!
When I took anatomy & physiology,(back in the dark ages) we had animals for dissection. We were informed that at no time were there to be any pranks performed with the dead critters or there would be serious consequences. Guess I am getting old and the world is seriously changing--now there is an excuse for desecrating the remains of human beings.
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