Man acquitted in friend's 2021 death

Judge finds Crown's manslaughter case was built on evidence from a number of lying witnesses

- JACQUES GALLANT

Ahmed Rafin and his friend Maahir Dosani were trying to leave Victoria Park Collegiate Institute in North York in November 2021 when they were swarmed in a field by 30 to 50 students, many of them angry, some of them armed.

In an attempt to protect himself and his 15-year-old friend, the then-19-year-old Rafin took out a knife from his pocket. The students punched and kicked him, knocked him to the ground and stomped on him as he held onto the knife as Dosani tried to pull people away.

One student whipped out an extendable baton and threatened to kill Rafin In the melee, Dosani was stabbed once in the neck and died.

On Friday, Superior Court Justice Katherine Corrick acquitted Rafin of manslaughter in the death of his young friend, finding he was acting in self-defence when he took out the knife in the face of an "angry mob of students" that posed a "significant threat" to his safety.

She did not make a finding as to who stabbed Dosani. While his death is "unspeakably tragic," the Crown's case against Rafin was built on the evidence of a number of lying witnesses, the judge found.

"Mr. Rafin found himself quickly surrounded by hostile strangers, and he resorted to a folding knife that he always carried with him; he did nothing more than show it," Corrick said.

"I find that certain members of the crowd were intent on assaulting Mr. Rafin... I find that use of force against Mr. Rafin was imminent and that there were no other means available to him to respond."

Rafin told the Star in a statement this week that facing serious allegations while knowing he was innocent took a heavy toll on him and his family, both emotionally and financially.

"I deeply miss my friend Maahir and continue to feel heartbroken for his family's loss," he said. "Moving forward, I am determined to focus on my studies and pursue a career in law, so I can assist others just as my lawyer has supported me."