Suspect eluded police for 30 years
Wednesday, June 12, 2002 (National Post)
TORONTO -- An American man who hijacked an Air Canada airplane in 1971 was sentenced to three years in jail Wednesday, 30 years after the only successful hijacking in Canadian history.
Patrick Critton, 54, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and extortion following a dramatic capture three decades after eluding police. Police had been after Critton in the United States for an armed robbery that led to a shootout in 1971.
Months later, on Boxing Day, he hijacked an Air Canada flight from Thunder Bay, Ont., to Toronto, allowed the passengers off the plane, and then forced the crew to fly him to Cuba.
Even after spending time in a Cuban jail, he faced charges in Canada but authorities couldn't find him.
It was just over a year ago when Peel Region police Const. Donald Jorgensen stumbled across the first clue that would lead to Critton's arrest.
After searching for Critton's name using the popular search engine google.com, Jorgensen found a newspaper article that suggested the hijacker could be in New York.
With Critton's name, date of birth, social insurance number and a few other facts, he contacted a detective in New York and asked him to do preliminary checks on the Critton who was written up in the article.
Months later, Critton was arrested and admitted he had hijacked the plane.
He was extradited to face the Canadian charges in connection with the hijacking but was never charged in the United States for the 1971 robbery.
Critton's lawyer was seeking a sentence of three to six years while the Crown recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years.
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