A Vancouver provincial court judge described a Victorian man’s relentless barrage of anti-Semitic, homophobic and threatening attacks against Vancouver lawyer Paul Sprackman as “despicable” on Dec. 6. Judge Roger Cutler sentenced Craig Millian Majorki, 45, to jail and two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal harassment and spitting on a Saanich police officer who tried to arrest him in a torrent of “profane, mocking, homophobic. and racist comments”. The man, who has been ill for much of his life and has undergone more than 100 surgeries, was sentenced to 32 days in jail before the pleas were accepted. He attended court via video from his parents’ home in Victoria. But for mitigating circumstances, Cutler said the “heinous acts” and the resulting trauma could have resulted in “a long term of imprisonment”. The judge warned Majorki that he would go to jail if there was a next time. “I hope you’re finding some means to control your volatility,” Cutler said.
Attacks on the family
Sprackman was Majorki’s lawyer on other matters, the court heard, and the abuse began after he left. Between September 2020 and February 2021, Sprackman received more than 200 threatening emails from Majorki. The phone rang at all hours of the night. it got to the point where the family had to unplug their phones, fearing they wouldn’t receive calls for elderly relatives. Majorki went so far as to discover wife Jodi’s work number and use it to harass the family, the court heard. Majorki further targeted Sprackman through Instagram and Facebook posts. In the latter case, Majorki published images of Nazi concentration camps. The judge was told that Sprackman’s family lost relatives in the Holocaust. Majorki also posted bad reviews of Sprackman online, a situation the attorney said has hurt his law practice and income. Majorki falsely claimed online that Sprackman’s wife was having an affair and that the attorney had an inappropriate relationship with his daughter. The court also heard Majorki had used a website to prank Sprackman.
Victim impact statements
In a victim impact statement, Sprackman described “the carnage created by his conduct.” He called the attacks ‘relentless’, carried out from afar by a keyboard warrior.’ Cutler agreed, saying the attacks were carried out “in the most brazen manner”. “Willing to attack the things that were most important to me,” Sprackman said. In her victim impact statement, Jodi noted that Majorki called when her mother died. “I’m glad that bitch kicked the bucket,” Majorki recalled saying over the phone. “[He] he mocked me in the midst of my grief.’ “It was a never-ending barrage,” he said, explaining that calls to the landline would be followed by calls to a cellphone. The family “would stay up all night waiting for the next call,” he said. “He was all Craig Majorki, all the time.” Jodi told the court the situation was a “very real reminder” of the dangers Jews still face. Daughter Camille said in her victim impact statement that she was disgusted and horrified by the attacks. She said it made her afraid to say she was Jewish. “[He] it made me feel unsafe in my home,” she said. “I feel angry and disappointed that he was allowed to continue his behavior with far less consequences.” Asked if he had anything to say, Majorki said: “I’m very sorry.”
The defense
Majorki’s attorney, Troy Anderson, said his client apologized to Jodi and Camille. “His fight was never with them,” he said. Once Majorki heard the victim’s statements, Anderson said, it dawned on him that he had really hurt innocent people. “He has written and said horrible things,” the defense attorney said. “When he feels he’s not being heard, he lashes out.” Anderson said his client had trouble finding a psychiatrist to treat him. “Sir. Majorki probably needs some psychiatric help,” he said. “It’s almost impossible to ask people for psychological or psychiatric help in this province.” Part of Majorki’s conditions include having a parent supervise him when he uses a computer. The judge said that if Majorki sends the wrong tweet or Facebook post during this ban period, “the police will be at his door and he will be in a cell.”
A second lawyer attacked
Majorki was placed on a peace bond to protect Vancouver lawyer Chris Johnson. Johnson and Mallorca were texting about an issue until it turned into “a barrage of abusive messages,” Crown prosecutor Kevin Westell told Cutler. [email protected] twitter.com/jhainswo
