Robert Henry Canning
Robert Canning, a veteran of World War I, began working at the Toronto (Don) Jail on April 1, 1944 after being honourably discharged from the Veterans' Guard in March. On June 10, 1944, Canning was assigned to the jail infirmary, which at the time housed eight inmates, many of which were mentally disturbed and restrained in their beds. Two of the inmates not restrained were awaiting transfer to the Kingston Penitentiary, one to serve a four-year sentence and the other nineteen years.
At about 10:00 PM the two inmates jumped Canning and beat and strangled him to death. Another guard was supposed to check on Canning during his patrols, but failed to do so. A bloody trail around the infirmary indicated that Canning did not succumb without a fight. His body was found later, tied to a pipe near the window through which the inmates escaped.
The escape was only partially successful. When the first inmate lowered himself from the window, the makeshift rope broke preventing the second inmate from following. The first inmate was recaptured shortly after. Both were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to an additional 25 years for one and 10 years for the other.
Read more about this topic: List Of Fallen Canadian Correctional Workers
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