CANADA Cases

Priest charged with child sex offences appears in Nunavut court
January 20, 2011

Eric Dejaeger, a Belgian Roman Catholic priest who escaped prosecution for 15 years for sex crimes against Inuit children was returned to Canada Wednesday, because of an immigration violation in his native country.

NUNAVUT — Fugitive priest Eric Dejaeger returned to Nunavut Thursday to appear in court for the first time since fleeing prosecution for child sex charges in 1995.

Dejaeger faces six child sexual abuse charges dating back to his time as an Oblate missionary in Igloolik in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Dejaeger appeared before a justice of the peace in an Iqaluit courtroom reluctantly, initially refusing to leave cells at the Iqaluit courthouse.

"He doesn't wish to be brought up right now," said Mandy Sammurtok, the legal aid lawyer assigned to represent Dejaeger at the hearing.

But Crown prosecutor Paul Bychok objected, saying it was not up to Dejaeger to decide whether to appear in court.

"We're dealing with an indictable offence and he is expected in the courtroom," Bychok said.

After a short delay, a haggard-looking Dejaeger entered the courtroom wearing blue jeans and a checked shirt. He was not wearing a belt or shoes.

The case falls under publication bans prohibiting the publication of evidence from a bail hearing scheduled for Monday and information that would identify any of DeJaeger's four alleged victims from Igloolik.

Dejaeger was ejected from Belgium Jan. 19 because he'd been living there without a visa since 1997.

Dejaeger left Canada in 1995 after serving five years for nine counts of child sexual abuse in Baker Lake, Nunavut.

He's been wanted by Interpol since 2001. Most recently, he lived in a residence for Flemish priests near Blanden, Belgium.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Priest+charged+with+child+offences+appears+Nunavut+court/4140604/story.html#ixzz1Bdl9UY2m

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Dejaeger appears in Nunavut court, faces new charges
“The Crown expects charges to arise in a number of Canadian jurisdictions”
January 24, 2011 - 2:49 pm


Former Oblate missionary Eric Dejaeger leaves an Iqaluit courtroom Jan. 20 after his first appearance
for six child sexual abuse charges in Igloolik dating back to the 1970s. DeJaeger arrived in Iqaluit after
Belgian authorities expelled him from the country over immigration violations. (PHOTO BY CHRIS WINDEYER)

Crown prosecutors added three charges Jan. 24 to the list of allegations faced by fugitive Catholic priest Eric Dejaeger, and more charges could be coming.

Dejaeger faces two new counts of indecent assault in connection with events alleged to have taken place in Igloolik between September, 1978 and September 1980, and a charge of failing to appear for a June, 1995 court date on six other indecent assault charges.

Crown lawyer Paul Bychok told a Justice of the Peace in Iqaluit that even more charges against Dejaeger could emerge.

“The lay of the land has begun to shift,” he said. “The Crown expects charges to arise in a number of Canadian jurisdictions.”

Bychok also said the two new indecent assault charges were laid based on complaints that arose after Dejaeger’s court appearance on Jan. 20.

Mandy Sammurtok, the legal aid lawyer who’s been representing Dejaeger since he returned to Nunavut, said the accused has hired his own lawyer, who was to take over the case in time for Dejaeger’s next scheduled court appearance Jan. 27, when he plans to seek release on bail.

The Crown plans to oppose Dejaeger’s release.

Click here to read more

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Arctic priest faces new sex charges in Nunavut
January 26, 2011

IQALUIT, Nunavut — A Canadian priest who fled Canada more than 15 years ago after being accused of sex crimes against Inuit children now faces a new set of charges.

Father Eric Dejaeger (duh-Yag-er), who was sent back last week from Belgium over immigration violations, is now facing three fresh charges in connection with his time in Igloolik, Nunavut, from 1978 to 1982.

Two of the charges are for indecent assault. The third is for not appearing in court June 13, 1995, to face the previous six counts.

Dejaeger came to Canada from Belgium in 1973. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest of the Oblate order after studying in Edmonton and eventually began work as a missionary in the Arctic, where he served in several communities.

According to court documents, Dejaeger pleaded guilty in 1990 to nine counts of sex crimes against boys and girls in Baker Lake, a small Inuit community in the central barrens of what is now Nunavut.

The crimes, committed between 1982 and 1989, ran from inappropriate touching to the rape of two boys who occasionally slept overnight at the mission residence. One boy was Dejaeger's victim from the ages of 10 to 17.

Dejaeger was sentenced to five years in prison for those offences.

But in June 1995, Dejaeger was charged again with more crimes against children alleged to have occurred between 1978 and 1982 in Igloolik on the northwest tip of Hudson Bay. Those charges were six counts of indecent assault and buggery involving four different individuals.

He didn't show up for his court date.

Read more

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Dejaeger civil claims still unsettled
January 28, 2011

There are still a number of outstanding civil claims against Eric Dejaeger, the Catholic priest who until recently had been a fugitive living in Belgium.

Dejaeger, 63, is currently in custody charged with sex crimes against young people that are alleged to have occurred when he was working in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982. He fled charges in Canada in 1995 and lived in Belgium for 16 years until he was expelled and returned to Nunavut earlier this month.

Dejaeger had already pleaded guilty in 1990 to nine counts of sex crimes against boys and girls in Baker Lake, another community in Nunavut, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

While Dejaeger was in Belgium, the Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay was busy settling with alleged victims of abuse by the priest.

Lawyer Steven Cooper, who represents victims with claims against Dejaeger, says he's working with "five to 10" people with unresolved claims.

Cooper says Dejaeger's return to Nunavut forces his clients to think about a painful past, but that they want justice to be served.

Accepting a civil settlement still allows victims to press criminal charges.

Read more

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Catholic priest accused of sex charges will face judge March 21
February 12, 2011

IQALUIT, Nunavut — A Catholic priest who faces a series of sex abuse charges dating to the late 1970s in Nunavut will make his first appearance before a judge March 21 in Iqaluit.

Eric Dejaeger was to have faced a show-cause hearing on Feb. 11 but that hearing was delayed because lawyers are still waiting for a report from Belgian police.

Dejaeger fled to Belgium after 1995, after serving time for sexually abusing minors in Baker Lake. He'd been wanted by Interpol since 2001.

Read more

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Priest faces more sex charges in Nunavut
March 28, 2011



More charges have been laid against Eric Dejaeger, a Roman Catholic priest accused of sex crimes against children in Nunavut in the late-1970s and 1980s.

Three more individuals from Igloolik, Nunavut, came forward in the past month with new accusations against Dejaeger, who had served as a missionary in the eastern Arctic community between 1978 and 1982, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.

Dejaeger, now 63, faces a total of 20 criminal charges, which include indecent assault and buggery, from multiple complainants. He initially faced six charges when he was brought back to Nunavut in January.

A male complainant accuses Dejaeger of using violence to force him not to report any suspicious activity, according to court documents.

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Death reviews show government failed to protect children
January 21, 2011


Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is the independent representative for children and youth.
Photograph by: John McKay, Postmedia News

Staffing shortages, inexperienced social workers and inadequate supervision continue to undermine the B.C. government's efforts to protect vulnerable children, its own internal reviews of several child deaths have found.

Nine of 12 reviews posted recently on the Ministry of Children and Family Development website detail significant gaps in services to children or youth before they died.

As well as staffing issues, the reports cite competing caseload demands, poor communication between agencies, superficial investigations and the lack of a coordinated approach to helping children and families.

Only three cases cite exemplary or strong social work.

The reviews, which were posted shortly before Christmas, examine the ministry's involvement with the children before they died. Six of the children died while in government care. The other six were "known to the ministry," meaning they were the subject of a child protection report or had received ministry services in the 12 months before their death.

The reviews do not identify the children or youth, nor do they indicate where, when or how they died.

But Christine Ash, spokeswoman for the ministry, said in an email to Postmedia News that it continues to face challenges recruiting and keeping staff in rural and remote areas. "This is not a budget issue, but a recruitment issue," she said.

The ministry is trying to address the problem by enhancing northern recruitment and allowing social workers to spend more time in their communities while training, she said.

"As well, part of this strategy will include conducting a large region-wide recruitment process, which could include over-hiring to keep up with the demand."

The ministry has also discussed plans to recruit third-and fourth-year social-work students at post-secondary institutions this spring.

Ash said only that the deaths occurred over the past three years. The documents, however, show that nine of the 12 who died were aboriginal.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.'s independent representative for children and youth, said the posted reports lack sufficient detail to provide a clear picture of what happened in each case.

But as "vague" as the reports are, they still raise significant concerns about whether the ministry is meeting its own standards, she said.

"They also point to the fact that this is a ministry which is continuing to struggle with some fundamental issues," she said. "I'm seeking more assurances that these issues are being addressed everywhere."

Turpel-Lafond, who expects to release her own report on a number of infant deaths in a few weeks, expressed concern about the lack of regular internal audits by the ministry.

"We have these reviews, which suggest some real deficiencies in practice -- whether the root cause is inadequate staffing, practice change itself or what have you -- and we need to have that comfort in each region that the practice is up to the standards that are in place," she said.

Some of the government's reviews are particularly scathing. One report documents a case in which a call to the ministry was assessed and closed before the identity of the family was known.

"The shortfall in practice and service included not clarifying caller information at the time of the child protection report, not properly documenting events, not communicating with the ministry program regarding services following the incident, and potentially leaving the youth's sibling at risk," the review stated.

In another case, the ministry failed to carry out a comprehensive assessment, in part because of the "social worker's inconsistent followup and competing casework responsibilities, staff shortages, and unavailability of supervisory consultation."

A third report cites "systemic barriers such as competing caseload demands, staff inexperience, and availability of supervisory consultation."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Death+reviews+show+government+failed+protect+children/4142666/story.html#ixzz1Bis4G5Vz

Calgary police probe infant's death
January 21, 2011 | 12:59 PM MT


Police in Calgary are investigating after a baby boy was found dead inside a northwest Calgary house early Friday morning.

Police are investigating the suspicious death of an infant in northwest Calgary, officials confirmed Friday.

Police and EMS crews found the dead baby boy after they responded to a 911 call at a house in the 100 block of Beaconsfield Way N.W. at about 3:30 a.m.

Homicide detectives were called in to investigate after the medical examiner confirmed the death as suspicious, officials said.

No further details have been made public by police, but neighbours told CBC News the residence was home to a young couple with two children.

Beverley McFadden, who lives next door, said her neighbour knocked on her door Thursday evening.

"He told my husband that he's going to have some drinks and work in his garage and he would play loud music, and for us not to phone the police," McFadden said.

"So we just said, 'OK, we're not going to phone the police.' Close the door and that's the end of it," she said.

Officials said they would release more details later Friday.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2011/01/21/calgary-suspicious-death-northwest.html#ixzz1BitZI5bO

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January 21, 2011 2:59 PM

The victim in a suspicious northwest Calgary death is an infant, police confirm. Calgary homicide investigators are at a home this morning at 192 Beaconsfield Way N.W., where there had been a call to 911 at 3:30 a.m. of a death at the residence. The medical examiner left the scene late this morning cradling what appeared to be an infant's body.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Video+Police+investigate+death+infant/4146637/story.html#ixzz1BjFMq5dz



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Death of Calgary baby boy suspicious
January 22, 2011 6:18am

CALGARY - Homicide detectives are looking into what could be the city's third murder of the year after a baby boy was found dead in a northwest home.

Emergency crews were called to the brown, two-storey home in the 100 block of Beaconsfield Way N.W. at 3:30 a.m. Friday when someone inside called 911.

One neighbour said a woman with as many as nine children lives there and a man -- who some suggested is her boyfriend -- may have been staying in the garage.

"We don't really know them," said neighbour Beverly McFadden. "We don't associate with them, we have nothing to do with them.

"She's got a guy living with her that's not a person you'd want to be around.

"He's yelled at us quite a bit, was accusing us of phoning child welfare and that sort of thing."

McFadden said she had an odd encounter with the man about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

"He rang our doorbell, my husband answered and he said he's going to have a couple beers, work in the garage on a vehicle and play loud music and for us not to phone the police," she said.

"My husband said 'fine we won't phone the police' and that was the end of it.

"This is the first time he's ever done that so we thought what is going on?

"He used to always play loud music but he's never come over and said that so it got us wondering."

Police are releasing few details about the death, saying only that a baby boy, said to be about four weeks old, was found dead and the medical examiner deemed it suspicious.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, said Insp. Keith Cain.

"We're waiting for determination of whether this was natural or otherwise," he said.

"I know the homicide unit will be working on (the investigation) over the weekend and they will be waiting for the autopsy results."

No one has been taken into custody and Cain would not say who was caring for the child at the time.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/22/16990826.html

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Friend defends Calgary mom as police call baby's death suspicious
January 22, 2011 10:22 PM

A Calgary mother is inconsolable after her baby died Friday, says a close friend.

Police say there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the four-week-old boy after a 911 call about the newborn came from inside a Beaconsfield Way N.W. home.

Kristena Gilbreath, who has known the woman for three years, said any speculation that the mother could have had anything to do with the death is absurd.

“Someone has to say something,” said Gilbreath, who considers the infant’s mother, who she identified as Lee, her best friend.

“She is the most wonderful, generous and caring individual and would give you her last dollar if you needed it.”

Gilbreath and her wife met Lee when their 15-year-old daughters became friends at school.

Gilbreath said they let their daughter stay over at Lee and her common-law partner’s home with no second thoughts.

“She has five other children. I’ve never once seen her ever verbally, emotionally or physically hurt those children. Not even a swat on the butt.”

Gilbreath added her friend lives for her children and is devastated by the death.

“Part of her just died,” said Gilbreath.

“She’s just crying, crying and crying. The hell that she’s going through is unbelievable. I couldn’t imagine.”

Gilbreath said Lee’s spouse Chris is also in pain.

“He can’t stop holding the baby’s teddy bear,” said Gilbreath.

She noted Chris is a construction worker and the sole bread-winner of the family.

The baby was the first child together for Lee, 35, and Chris, 19.

“They were ecstatic about having the baby,” said Gilbreath.

“I don’t necessarily agree with a 35-year-old woman dating a 19-year-old boy, but that really has nothing to do with this case.”

The friend added Lee is from B.C. and estranged from her mother. So Lee’s Calgary friends are supporting her as much as they can.

They feel the mother is being treated unfairly.

“Before the autopsy is complete — right away people judge, judge, judge. She just lost her child — pray for her.”

Calgary police said an autopsy is set for Monday.

“That’ll determine our course of action because at this point we really don’t know how the baby died,” said duty inspector Paul Stacey on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Friend+defends+Calgary+police+call+baby+death+suspicious/4151393/story.html#ixzz1BprkPre5

Nanaimo police on alert after man tries to lure girl, 14
January 19, 2011
Police are alerting the public after a man tried to lure a 14-year-old girl into his van in Nanaimo Tuesday.

The incident occurred at about 3:40 p.m. as the girl had just got off a bus and was walking in the area of 5th Street and Park Avenue.

Police say a man in a white van pulled up next to her. The man asked her to get into the van to help him look for his dog. The girl refused and the man fled. The girl went home and police were called in.

Police say the man is described as being Caucasian, about 50 years old, balding with white or light-coloured hair, with a bulbous nose and a deep voice.

If anyone has any information on this incident they are asked to call Nanaimo RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Nanaimo+police+alert+after+tries+lure+girl/4132684/story.html#ixzz1Bj8CYmcC

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RCMP release sketch of suspect in attempted child luring incident
January 21, 2011 6:02 PM

VANCOUVER — Nanaimo RCMP have released a composite sketch of a man involved in an attempted child luring incident on Tuesday.

The man is described as a Caucasian male, around 50 years old, with whitish/grey hair and balding on top. He appeared to be overweight and was wearing a black jacket. He also had a deep voice.


Nanaimo RCMP have released a composite sketch of a man
involved in an attempted child luring incident on Tuesday.

The vehicle he was driving is described as a white paneled cargo van with a flat roof and only one tinted window, on the rear left side. The licence plate number contained the numbers 6 and 0.

Anyone with information on this incident, suspect or vehicle is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/RCMP+release+sketch+suspect+attempted+child+luring+incident/4147628/story.html#ixzz1Bj9Khu9p

Hearing set for Calgary librarian who allegedly had affair with student
January 20, 2011

A former junior high school librarian with the Calgary Board of Education faces a one-day preliminary hearing on June 8 for having an illicit sexual affair with a 15-year-old boy last summer.

Provincial court Judge Jim Ogle set the hearing on Thursday for Agnes Gina Kooy, 48, on charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual touching while in a position of trust.

The incidents are alleged to have occurred between July 14 and Aug. 11, according to court documents, but the affair didn't end at that time.

Kooy also faces two counts of breaching release conditions for having contact with the student on Sept. 21 contrary to a court order. Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey told court those charges will be spoken to during the upcoming hearing.

Kooy was charged last summer after the boy's parents isued a complaint to police about the relationship with the librarian.

Neither police nor the school board have released the name of the school, because of privacy issues, and the student's name cannot be released because of his age.

Kooy was not present to set the hearing date, as lawyer Gloria Froese had filed a document to appear on her behalf.

A preliminary hearing is held to determine if there issufficient evidence to warrant a trial.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Hearing+Calgary+librarian+allegedly+affair+with+student/4140688/story.html#ixzz1BjDldH10

Calgary man charged with paying for sex acts with underage foster children


Garry Prokopishin, 51, once honoured as foster parent of the year, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of obtaining or attempting to obtain sex from a person under 18 and one count of inciting sexual contact with a youth by a person in authority.

CALGARY - A Calgary foster parent is facing charges in connection to sex offences in which it's alleged he paid for sexual acts with underage boys in his care.

Garry Prokopishin, 51, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of obtaining or attempting to obtain sex from a person under 18 and one count of inciting sexual contact with a youth by a person in authority.

The Calgary Police Service launched an investigation in June last year and charges were laid in February in relation to three alleged victims.

As a result, police got further information about more allegations, involving another boy who had lived at the home.

The charges relate to allegations between December 2004 and June 2008, when the alleged victim was in his mid-teens.

Police believe 55 foster children, all boys between the ages from 14 to 17, have lived under Prokopishin's care over the past 20 years.

Police have spoken with the boys who lived in the home and the Canada-wide investigation is ongoing.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Calgary+charged+with+paying+acts+with+underage+foster+children/3771082/story.html#ixzz1BjGvW0PN

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Star foster parent accused of sex abuse healthy enough for court
January 14, 2011

Former Foster Parent of the Year Garry Prokopishin is out of hospital and ready to face child molestation charges, his new lawyer said Friday.

Defence counsel Bina Border — who has taken over from Prokopishin’s former lawyer, new provincial court Judge Harry Van Harten — said her client still has health problems, but is now able to attend court.

Border adjourned the case to Jan. 28, so she can review the file before setting a new preliminary inquiry date.

An earlier hearing had to be postponed when Prokopishin was rushed to hospital the morning it was supposed to begin.

Border said outside court her client has recovered sufficiently to have a new hearing set.

“He’s out of the hospital now,” Border said, after appearing in court on Prokopishin’s behalf.

“He’s not in great health,” she added.

Last month Van Harten told court Prokopishin was in critical condition with an undisclosed ailment after he was taken by ambulance from his home the morning of Dec. 1.

He was to face a two-day preliminary inquiry at that time, but the hearing was postponed because of his health problems.

Since then, Van Harten has been appointed a provincial court judge, requiring a change of counsel.

Prokopishin was to face a preliminary inquiry on sex charges involving four boys formerly under his care.

He faces four allegations he attempted to procure a minor for the purpose of prostitution, three of sexually exploiting someone under his trust, and one of Internet luring.

The offences allegedly occurred between December 2004, and June 2008.

Because Border has filed a signed designation of counsel by her client, Prokopishin was not required to attend court, but he will have to be present for his preliminary inquiry.

He is currently on bail pending trial.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2011/01/14/16895916.html

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Additional sex charges laid against former Calgary foster parent
January 19, 2011

Police have laid two additional sex charges against a former foster parent accused of sexually abusing boys under his care.

Investigators have laid additional charges of exploiting a minor while in a position of trust and procuring sex from a person under the age of 18 years old after a fifth complainant came forward to police.

The boys allege they were in their mid-teens when they were molested between 2004 and 2008.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Additional+charges+laid+against+former+Calgary+foster+parent/4135067/story.html#ixzz1BjHopUvk

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Investigation into former foster parent stalls sex assault case
January 28, 2011

The investigation into sex allegations against a former foster parent of the year is ongoing, a Calgary court heard Friday.

But Crown prosecutor Gary Cornfield said outside court he would not speculate on whether that might mean more charges against Garry Prokopishin.

Prokopishin appeared briefly in provincial court where a new information was laid consolidating two newer charges with nine others he already faced.

At Cornfield’s request, Prokopishin’s bail order was transferred to the new file.

Among the condition of his release is a non-cash bail of $5,000 and a provision he not be in unsupervised contact with anyone under 16.

Prokopishin did not speak during the proceeding.

Defence counsel Bina Border expressed concern the ongoing investigation was delaying her client’s case.

“Perhaps the police can get their investigation completed and we can set a date (for a preliminary inquiry),” she told Judge Allan Fradsham.

“There is still an ongoing investigation and I don’t want to have to come back again, and again, and again,” Border said.

Read more

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Garry Prokopishin is charged with sexually
abusing some of his foster children.

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Inquiry set for foster parent accused of sex charges
March 15, 2011

Former Foster Parent of the Year Garry Prokopishin will face a preliminary inquiry this fall, 10 months after an earlier hearing was delayed by his hospitalization.

Student-at-law Shamsher Kothari appeared in provincial court Tuesday to set down a two-day hearing beginning Oct. 3.

Kothari told Judge Sean Dunnigan a pre-preliminary meeting to discuss what issues will be raised at the inquiry won’t be necessary since one took place before the previous hearing was derailed.

Prokopishin, 53, who faces 11 sex-related charges involving five boys under his care, was not present for the brief proceeding.

He faces five charges each of communicating with a minor for the purposes of prostitution and sexual exploitation, as well as an additional charge of Internet luring.

Prokopishin was to face a preliminary inquiry beginning last Dec. 1 when his then-lawyer, Harry Van Harten, told court his client had been rushed to hospital that morning.

Van Harten later said Prokopishin, who at the time faced criminal allegations from four complainants, was hospitalized in critical condition.

His new lawyer, Bina Border, who took over when Van Harten was appointed a judge, said in January the accused was still in poor medical condition even though he had been discharged from the hospital.

Kothari, who appeared on Border’s behalf, said Prokopishin would be sticking to the original trial election by Van Harten — a hearing before a Court of Queen’s Bench jury — if committed to stand trial.

The accused faces a minimum six-month jail term if convicted of a single charge of procuring a minor for prostitution.

The sexual exploitation charges also carry minimum sentences, meaning if Prokopishin is convicted of any of those he’ll be ineligible for a conditional term and will have to go to jail.

Prokopishin remains at liberty pending resolution of the case.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2011/03/15/17630871.html

Woman, 29, will stand trial in 17-month-old daughter's death
January 21, 2011

SASKATOON — A 29-year-old woman will stand trial in Court of Queen's Bench in the death of her 17-month-old daughter four years ago.

The woman, whose name is subject to a publication ban, is charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life for the child, who died Dec. 11, 2006.

The mother was committed to stand trial by judge alone following a preliminary hearing that began in June and continued on three more dates since then.

There is no date yet for the trial.

Evidence heard at the preliminary hearing is also subject to a publication ban.

Judge Donna Scott heard expert evidence from a forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy on the toddler.

A family services worker from the Saskatoon Tribal Council and a social worker also testified.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Woman+will+stand+trial+month+daughter+death/4142233/story.html#ixzz1BjQesRQJ

Saskatoon man pleads guilty to sex with babysitters
January 21, 2011

A Saskatoon man pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually exploiting two 14-year-old girls he hired to babysit his children in 1996.

Sherman Pearce, 58, received a two-year penitentiary sentence and three years of probation for having sex with the girls, whose identities are protected by a publication ban.

Crown prosecutor Cory Bliss told court Pearce had been introduced to the victims by his brother, 61-year-old Lyman Pearce.

Lyman Pearce received a 10-year prison term and a long-term offender designation last year for introducing eight underage Saskatoon girls to hard drugs, then trading drugs for sex with them between 1998 and 2008. They ranged in age from 12 to 18.

Sherman Pearce, who lived in the same neighbourhood as his brother, hired the two 14-year-olds to look after his five sons while he was away from home to perform late-night music shows with a local band, Bliss said.

Each of the girls later told police about separate incidents in which they were alone and sleeping when Pearce returned home, woke them up and had sex with them before driving them home. He was 44 years old at the time.

"These are situations where, obviously, due to (his) position of trust and authority . . . consent is not possible in this situation," Bliss told court.

Both victims suffered long-term effects from the abuse, which they did not report until they were much older, Bliss said. He did not elaborate on the details of how the incidents affected their young lives.

Pearce had no previous criminal record and was going through a difficult personal time in 1996, defence lawyer Jay Watson told court, adding his client has felt badly about what happened ever since.

Pearce's current employer is willing to take him back after his release from the penitentiary, Watson said.

Watson opposed a Crown application to add Pearce to the national sex offender registry; however, Judge Marty Irwin rejected the argument, ordering Pearce to follow the registry's requirements for the next 10 years.

"You are a sex offender," Irwin told him.

He also ordered Pearce to submit samples for the national DNA database.

"We all have difficult times in our lives," Irwin told Pearce. That's no excuse, he added.

"They obviously trusted you and to take advantage of them in this way is simply despicable."

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Saskatoon+pleads+guilty+with+babysitters/4146794/story.html#ixzz1BjRY4lM4

N.B. man charged with sexually assaulting girl
January 21, 2011 | 4:38 PM AT

A New Brunswick man is facing several sex-related charges in connection to alleged incidents involving a girl under the age of 18 between November and December 2010, police say.

Joel Clinton Rickard, 36, of Riverview, is charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a young person and sexual interference.

Codiac Regional RCMP said they received a complaint on Jan. 11, and the charges were laid Friday in Moncton provincial court after an investigation.

Rickard is scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 14.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/01/21/nb-sexual-assault-charges.html#ixzz1BjbZyqNk

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Local soccer coach expected to plead guilty
February 5, 2011

A local soccer coach is expected to plead guilty to sex offences next week, involving one of his female players.

Joel Clinton Rickard, 36, of Riverview, was not in Moncton provincial court yesterday morning but was represented by defence lawyer Scott Fowler.

The lawyer told Judge Irwin Lampert that the matter would be resolved with a plea and asked that it be set over for another few days. The judge scheduled it for Wednesday.

Rickard is charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation, which refers to a person in a position of authority having sexual contact with a young person. He's also charged with touching a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose.

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Coach guilty of sex offence
Joel Clinton Rickard to be sentenced April 8
February 10, 2011

A local soccer coach will be sentenced in April for sexually assaulting one of his athletes.

Joel Clinton Rickard, 36, of Riverview, appeared in Moncton provincial court yesterday, charged with three sex offences involving a female teenager. He was accused of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, which refers to a person in a position of authority having sexual contact with a young person, and touching a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose.

The charges all involved the same victim, who can't be named due to a publication ban, and took place over a period of time in the fall.

Rickard was present in court yesterday for the first time since he was charged, where previously his lawyer Scott Fowler represented him.

He pleaded guilty to the sex assault and Crown prosecutor Annie St. Jacques withdrew the other two charges.

A pre-sentence report and victim impact statement were requested, so Judge Irwin Lampert adjourned sentencing until April 8.

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Alberni father pleads guilty to sexual offences

A Port Alberni father has been sentenced to four years in a federal prison for two sex offences involving his own daughters, provincial prosecutor Gordon Baines said.

In Nanaimo Supreme Court, Justice B. McKenzie sentenced the man for sexual assault and sexual interference with a person under the age of 14.

The case was moved to Nanaimo from Port Alberni in August 2010.

A publication ban prevents revealing the father’s identity in order to protect the victims’ identity.

The ban also prevents identifying the man’s wife, who was initially charged with him.

The offences involved their daughters, who were age four to 14 when the offences occurred.

“The Crown stayed the charges against the mother because it was determined that he was the directing mind behind the offences,” Baines said.

The parents were originally charged with two counts of sexual assault, one count of incest and one count of possession of child pornography.

But ultimately the father pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under age 14.

“We felt it important to do what we could so that the daughters wouldn’t have to go through the ordeal of testifying in a trial that could take three months,” Baines said.

In his statement of facts to the court Baines said that the father considered himself to be a religious leader in his household who saw himself as a god.

The father directed his wife to commit the offences with him “...under the guise of his religion,” Baines said.

In court, the father was “very charismatic” and “very believable,” Baines said.

The couple has since relinquished full custody of their daughters into the care of the Ministry of Children and Families.

The father will have a sex offender program available to him in prison.

He’s required to submit a sample of his DNA to the federal data bank. And he’ll be registered as sex offender when he’s paroled.

“The police will know where he his and what he’s doing at all times,” Baines said.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/albernivalleynews/news/113469079.html

Police alert public about sex offender who will reside in Regina neighbourhood

The Regina Police Service issued a public safety alert regarding Jason Paul Thorne on Jan. 14, 2011.

REGINA — The Regina Police Service is alerting the public about the presence of a sex offender who will be living in the Heritage neighbourhood of Regina.

Jason Paul Thorne, 33, is described as aboriginal with short black hair and brown eyes with a medium build. He is 5-feet-11 and weighs 165 pounds.

Thorne has a history of committing violent and sexual offences, frequently involving the use or threat of weapons against both males and females. His victims include people previously unknown to him as well as members of his family. In his previous offences, his victims ranged in age from infants to adults.

The police have issued the warning as a result of an application under the Saskatchewan Public Disclosure Act.

Thorne is subject to a court order with a number of conditions for a period of six years. He is to abstain from alcohol or other drugs; not have contact with children under the age of 18 unless supervised by a responsible adult that has been pre-approved in writing by his parole officer; not be in a position of authority over children regardless of the presence of other adults; not attend any public park, swimming pool or be in or near any locations where children gather; report all relationships; and must reside in a community correctional centre and return there every night.

Thorne will live in a Heritage-neighbourhood residence that provides supervision and monitoring of his activities.

Anyone with questions or concerns or those wishing to report an incident where Thorne is in violation of his conditions can contact the police at 777-6500. Reports can also be directed to Crime Stoppers at 545-8477 (TIPS). Concerns or reports from those living outside of Regina should be directed to their nearest RCMP detachment or local municipal police department.

The police stress that the information is intended to raise awareness in the community about the individual and to inform the public so they can take suitable preventative measures. It is not for embarking on any form of vigilantism or other unreasonable conduct directed at the individual.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Police+alert+public+about+offender+will+reside+Regina+neighbourhood/4111596/story.html#ixzz1BjqfH0IH

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Sask. sex offender arrested after allegedly breaching court order
February 4, 2011 5:38 PM

REGINA — A 33-year-old sex offender who was the subject of a public disclosure notice in January is back in custody.

The Regina Police Service arrested Jason Paul Thorne on Friday afternoon at his place of residence after allegations he breached a condition of his long term supervision order, namely that he abstain from using drugs.

On Jan. 14, police alerted the public that he would be living in the Heritage neighbourhood of Regina.

Thorne was subject to a court order with a number of conditions for six years. He was to abstain from alcohol or other drugs, not have contact with children unless supervised by an adult approved by his parole officer, not be in a position of authority over children regardless of the presence of other adults; not attend any public park, swimming pool or be in or near any locations where children gather, report all relationships and must reside in a community correctional centre and return there every night.

Thorne has a history of committing violent and sexual offences, frequently involving the use or threat of weapons against both males and females. His victims include people previously unknown to him as well as members of his family. His victims ranged in age from infants to adults.

Police said Thorne is back in a closed-custody facility.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/Sask+offender+arrested+after+allegedly+breaching+court+order/4227409/story.html#ixzz1D2TwQYew

'He was so nice, it was scary'

A young woman testified Tuesday in the trial of her former stepfather that she never told anyone about the constant sexual abuse she endured as a child for a decade because he told her she would be taken out of the family home if she did.

"I was terrified," recalled the woman in the Superior Court of Justice in Greater Sudbury, about the first alleged incident involving oral sex and vaginal penetration, which she said happened when she was five years old in their Espanola home in the early 1980s.

"He was so nice, it was scary. He was really nice. After, he cried. He said 'I made him do it. My mother would be so angry with me, she wouldn't believe me. She would call the cops and they would put me away where girls like me belong.' "

The woman was testifying at the trial of a now 55-year-old Espanola man who is facing 13 charges dating back to 1981 and running to 1993 in Espanola and Whitefish Falls.

The charges include four counts of assault, three counts of assault with a weapon and six sex-related charges -- including indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual invitation.

The charges concern two young females (a stepdaughter and daughter) and a young stepson. The man has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Both the accused man and the victims in the case cannot be identified due to bans on publication issued by Justice Dan Cornell.

The man was charged by Espanola Town Police in August 2007, after the stepdaughter went to police in July 2007. Other weapons used in the alleged assaults on the stepchildren included a leather belt and fish gaff.

The young woman testified that the early sexual abuse would involve everything from a "belly rub," which involved her performing manual or oral sex on her stepfather and other sex acts.

The incidents would occur several times a week, finally ending in the woman's mid-teens, when she left following an argument over homework in which she said he slapped her in the head, causing her to bleed.

The woman said her stepfather would constantly hit her and her brother or throw things such as tools at them for any little mistake he witnessed.

Read more...
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2936391

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Questioning brings woman to tears

The young woman at the centre of a sexual and physical abuse trial involving her former stepfather testified Wednesday her memories of violence and sexual abuse are improving and becoming clearer.

"As time went on, your memory about the sexual activity changed?" defence lawyer Berk Keaney asked the woman during cross-examination.

"Yes," she replied. "I don't like the word changed ... I always knew that it happened a lot."

"Would you agree that over time you came to agree (the former stepfather) did worse things and more frequently to you than you originally remembered?" aney.

"Yes," the woman replied.

Read more.....
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2938406

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Attacked with a fishing gaff

A now 33-year-old man described growing up a dysfunctional home where he was assaulted by his angry, red-faced stepfather with a hammer, fishing gaff hook and his bare hands during testimony on Thursday in a Sudbury court.

"It was very dysfunctional," the stepson said of his childhood.

He and his sister were forced to work all the time, doing chores such as piling wood, he said.

"We were threatened and abused," he said. "It was very scary for me. He would turn red in the face, yelling and screaming and spitting."

The stepson said he remembered the fishing gaff hook hanging from his backside after his stepfather threw it at him at their Espanola home in the 1980s. He had just sharpened the hook on the end before throwing it at the boy, the court heard.

"He threw it at me like an axe," the stepson testified.

Read more...
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2940322

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Court hears CAS evidence in abuse case

The Children's Aid Society was involved with an Espanola family --- who is at the centre of a physical and sexual abuse trial -- for a year in the mid-1980s, a Sudbury court heard on Friday.

During the CAS involvement in 1983, the now-55-year-old stepfather admitted to using a belt to hit his stepson once on the buttocks and once on each of his hands, the court heard.

The evidence, admitted by both the Crown and defence, was being read out on the fifth day of the 55-year-old's trial for 13 charges dating back to the

years of 1981 through 1993 in Espanola and Whitefish Falls. The man, along with the complainants, can't be named under publication bans issued by Superior Court Justice Dan Cornell.

The man pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault, three counts of assault with a weapon and six sex-related charges, including indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual invitation.

The charges involve the man's daughter, stepdaughter and stepson.

Espanola Police Ser vice charged the man in August 2007 after the stepdaughter went to police in July 2007.

In testimony on Thursday, the stepson said he was assaulted with a fishing gaff hook and hammer as well as his stepfather's bare hands. The stepdaughter testified earlier in the week about physical and sexual abuse she says she was subjected to while growing up. The sex abuse the woman reported ranged from "belly rubs" to manual and oral sex.

Assistant Crown attorney Kara Vakiparta said the CAS got involved with the family in 1983.

A mental health worker called the CAS because of comments the children's mother made. At the time, the stepchildren were examined. The stepdaughter had no injuries and the stepson had a v-shaped mark on his left buttock, Vakiparta said.

The man's lawyer, Berk Keaney, said his client had admitted at the time to striking the child with a belt.

The children were immediately taken out of the family's home and stayed with relatives, but were returned to the family home. The CAS fol-lowed up with the family over a one-year period. The man had anger management treatment.

Keaney read a chronology of follow-up visits the CAS reported, which determined the family appeared happy and that the father was trying to better himself. The reports state that there were no further signs of physical abuse, court heard.

As the evidence from the CAS was being presented, the stepdaughter left the courtroom in tears and could be heard sobbing in the hallway.

The C AS evidence concluded the Crown's case against the man. The defence is not calling any witnesses. Keaney and Vakipar ta are scheduled to make their final arguments on Monday morning in Superior Court.

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2942154

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Trial hinges on credibility
January 25, 2011

A Superior Court justice will render his decision Feb. 9 in a sexual and physical abuse trial involving a now 55-year-old Espanola man and his family dating back to the 1980s and early 1990s.

Justice Dan Cornell set the date after hearing more than three hours of final submissions Monday from defence lawyer Berk Keaney and assistant Crown attorney Kara Vakiparta.

The Espanola man is facing 13 charges dating in Espanola and Whitefish Falls including four counts of assault, three counts of assault with a weapon, and six sex-related charges, including indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual invitation.

The man has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial lasted a week.

Both the accused man and the victims in the case cannot be identified due to bans on publication issued by Cornell.

The man was charged by Espanola Town Police in August 2007, after the stepdaughter went to police in July 2007.

Other weapons used in the alleged assaults on the children included a leather belt and fish gaff.

Alleged sexual abuse incidents, the trial heard, involved everything from a belly rub to manual and oral sex.

The sexual abuse occurred numerous times a week from the age of five to 15, the now young woman testified.

It ended when she reached her mid-teens and left following an argument over homework in which she said he slapped her in the head, causing a bloody nose.

In his submissions, Keaney keyed in on what he called inconsistencies in evidence and improbabilities in the Crown's cause.

He said the alleged sexual abuse would have totalled up to 6,000 incidents, lasting 30 minutes or more, over 10 years.

Yet only one incident -- a belly rub -- ever came to the attention of the young woman's brother or mother, Keaney said.

"The descriptions do not accord with logic, nor do they accord with common sense," he said. "There isn't evidence to support the sexual allegations or confirm them, but there are issues that question the reliability of that evidence.

"It's essentially a reliability-of-evidence case."

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Self-professed youth advocate gets 18 months for sexual assault of boy


James William Miller — a failed federal election candidate who claims to be a global leader on
youth-protection issues — is going to jail for molesting an 11-year-old boy.


James William Miller — a failed federal election candidate who claims to be a global leader on youth-protection issues — is going to jail for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old boy.

The North Delta man was sentenced to 18 months behind bars followed by two years’ probation for convictions of sexual interference and sexual exploitation Friday in New Westminster Supreme Court. A third charge of sexual assault was stayed.

The victim, who cannot be identified, testified during trial that Miller masturbated him three times and gave him oral sex once a number of years ago.

Miller was in a position of trust and authority, which was an aggravating factor in the crime.

In an interview Crown prosecutor Crichton Pike said he was seeking two years in prison and three years’ probation but he is content with Justice Ian Josephson’s ruling.

In Miller’s trial, Josephson ruled there was no contest in the credibility of the victim and accused.

“The complainant was a powerfully credible witness,” Josephson said, adding Miller’s denials and explanations verged on “the bizarre.”

Miller was arrested while running for office in Newton-North Delta in 2008. When asked about the sex-crime allegations, he told The Province: “Those allegations are . . . completely unfounded and unsubstantiated and from someone who has made accusations before.”

Miller is the founder and president of End Youth Violence, a website with knowledge on parenting and prevention of harm to youth which has “served tens of millions of people from more than 85 countries,” according to Miller.

The website was still active Friday, promoting his books on youth that are still available at Amazon.ca. The company did not return calls for comment on whether Miller would be able to continue selling his books while in prison.

Crown counsel Pike said Miller’s sentence contains no conditions about sales of his book and youth-harm prevention activities.

Through End Youth Violence, Miller has often been featured on B.C. television news speaking on youth issues.

He also grabbed the media spotlight in 2004 when he took offence to photographs posted on the website of comedian Dustin Ladd. The photos showed a boy sitting on Ladd’s lap smoking, drinking and reading a porno mag.

He has also been in the news for allegedly bilking people through his limo business.

And in August 2009, during the media circus surrounding the flight of accused Playboy-model murderer Ryan Jenkins, Miller appeared in a local news segment making colourful claims that he had chauffeured a high-rolling Jenkins to all-night gambling sessions in Vancouver.

After Miller was convicted in October, the victim’s mother said her son, who is now 19, is doing well.

“It’s been a rough go, but my son is a rock,” she said. “He showed maturity beyond his years.”

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Self professed youth advocate gets months sexual assault/4111342/story.html#ixzz1BmzFiizs

Ladysmith man faces charges after police seize up to one million child-porn images

NANAIMO — Police are recommending charges against a 64-year-old Ladysmith man after a search of his business, home and car revealed as many as one million pornographic images, many involving children.

Police officials believe it is the biggest pornography bust of its kind in Nanaimo. In mid-December, officers with the serious crime unit arrested a man as they searched his business in Cedar.

Later that day, police searched his home in Ladysmith as well as his car. Officers seized 10 computers, digital cameras, web cameras, CDs, DVDs and more than two dozen each of external hard drives and other storage devices. Police estimate there may be as many as one million sexually explicit images of children on the seized materials.

Investigators do not believe there are any images of local children. The investigation is continuing.

Police say it will take several months before a forensic report on the materials is prepared as officers catalogue the seizures. The man was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

Nanaimo RCMP are recommending charges of possession, production and accessing child pornography.

His conditions include to not have or use computers, access the Internet or attend any public place where someone under 18 may be present.

Police say the man's name surfaced through various investigations and this case will likely spawn others. Often, investigations lead from one person to another and sometimes other countries, as people sell or swap images of abused children online.

Officers are co-ordinating with the specialized Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in Vancouver, which was created in 2004 in response to this growing type of Internet-fuelled crime.

Online sex crimes have exploded in recent years, forcing police to continuously tweak techniques to track offenders.

They can be difficult and lengthy crimes to prosecute. This fall, RCMP estimated the average delay for a computer to be analyzed at the forensics lab in Vancouver is up to 18 months and that is before a charge can be laid.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/Ladysmith+faces+charges+after+police+seize+million+child+porn+images/4112144/story.html#ixzz1Bn1WuqJ5

Ex-youth worker guilty in child porn case
Man secretly filmed teen clients having sex, made multiple copies of videos
January 24, 2011

EDMONTON — A former Athabasca youth worker has been convicted of child pornography and voyeurism charges for possessing homemade videos of his teen clients having sex.

Jason Andrew Keough sat slumped in the prisoner’s box at Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench on Monday afternoon as Judge Donald Manderscheid delivered his decision. Manderscheid found Keough not guilty of additional charges of making child pornography and sexual touching.

Keough showed no reaction to any of the verdicts.

Keough previously worked with at-risk teens at Athabasca’s Native Friendship Centre, then as a school counsellor and a government youth protection worker.

During Keough’s trial last fall, court heard the 36-year-old was found with multiple copies of videos of teenagers having sex — one of which begins with Keough concealing the video camera in a bedroom in his house.

A young couple were later filmed having sex in that room without their knowledge.

The videos were discovered when police searched Keough’s house in 2008.

Reading parts of his 70-page decision, Manderscheid said he had considered whether two of the videos ­— which were made by the teens then given to Keough ­— would fall under an exemption that allows teens to make videos of themselves for personal use.

Manderscheid ultimately ruled that the videos became child pornography once they were in Keough’s possession.

Manderscheid also found Keough had committed voyeurism and made voyeuristic material with his use of the hidden camera.

Keough was acquitted of two counts of making child pornography because copying the teens’ sex tapes or converting them to a VHS format did not qualify as “making” the material. Manderscheid also acquitted Keough of a sexual touching charge, saying he had “grave concerns” about the complainant’s testimony.

He expressed “serious doubts about whether the alleged incidents even took place.”

The matter has now been adjourned for defence lawyer Anna Konye to consider whether she will challenge the mandatory minimum sentences now in place for child pornography offences.

Dates for the potential challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and other sentencing arguments have not yet been set.

Konye and Keough declined to comment after the verdict on Monday.

Prosecutor Diane Hollinshead told court the Crown would be seeking “a substantial period of incarceration.”

All of the offences occurred between 2005 and 2008.

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/youth+worker+guilty+child+porn+case/4159634/story.html#ixzz1C0OypgXF

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Jason Keough, outside court in 2008, will be
sentenced on porn charges on May 6
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Crown seeks 15-18 month sentence in Keough case
March 11, 2011

EDMONTON - A young woman says finding out Jason Keough had a sexual video of her robbed her of her self-worth, and left her with “a disgusting feeling ... almost like you shower and shower but you never get clean.”

The woman’s victim impact statement was read aloud Friday in court by Crown prosecutor Diane Hollinshead at Keough’s sentencing hearing.

“It has made it hard for me to live my life the way anybody my age should be able to,” she wrote.

The victim’s name cannot be published because of a court-ordered publication ban.

Keough, a former Athabasca youth worker, was previously convicted of two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of voyeurism, all related to videos of teenagers having sex.

Hollingshead is seeking a jail sentence of 15 to 18 months, followed by three months of probation on the charges. The defence is seeking a significantly lower term of 45 days in jail on the child pornography charges, with a suspended sentence on the voyeurism charge.

Defence lawyer Anna Konye is also arguing against the Crown’s request for an order that would bar Keough from working with youth for 15 years.

Read more

Attorney General announces funding for child advocacy groups
January 24, 2011

KITCHENER — The government of Canada has offered over $5 million to community groups that help child victims of crime.

Attorney General Rob Nicholson announced the funding Monday following a community roundtable discussion in Kitchener.

Nicholson told the media that the government “for the first time, has started a program that will give direct support to child advocacy centres.’’

A total of $5.2 million will be available over five years to organizations that help child victims of crimes, especially sexual crimes.

The organizations will be ones helping child victims of crime in several ways, such as supporting them in court and helping them access psychological help, Nicholson said.

Child pornography continues to be “a very difficult problem,’’ he said. At any given time, there are 750,000 pedophiles online.

Jack Reynolds, executive director of The Child Witness Centre in Kitchener, attended the meeting with Nicholson and said he will be applying for $50,000, plus annualized funding.

“Child sexual abuse is a problem of major proportions in Canada,’’ Reynolds told Nicholson in a written statement provided to the media following the closed-door discussion.

Staff at his agency help prepare child victims and witnesses for court, and accompany them to court. The children are referred by police and Crown attorneys in Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Brantford.

Reynolds supports a government bill establishing mandatory jail terms for those convicted of a wide range of sexual offences against children. The bill was proposed in November.

There has been significant progress made over the past 30 years in prosecuting crimes against children, Reynolds said.

But he urged the government to also focus on preventing child sexual abuse. This could be done by offering more effective treatment of offenders and better treament for victimized children so they don’t become abusers themselves, he said

“We all know tougher sentences and incarceration isn’t, in itself, going to prevent child sex abuse,’’ he said in an interview.

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/477482--attorney-general-announces-funding-for-child-advocacy-groups

Coroner's inquest examining death of three-year-old foster child begins in Regina
January 24, 2011 2:41 PM



REGINA — A coroner's inquest examining the death of a three-year-old foster child got underway Monday morning in Regina.

The boy was found dead in a crib at his foster home in Pense on Dec. 17, 2009. Although the child was previously named in government news releases, he can no longer be identified except by his initials A.P.G. Presiding coroner Alma Wiebe ordered the publication ban at the request of lawyer Jill Drennan, representing the Ministry of Social Services. The ban applies to any children in care and their adoptive or biological parents named as part of the inquest.

Wiebe told the four-woman, two-man jury that its task is to determine when and where the boy died, the medical cause and manner of death. The jury can also make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths.

Because the child who died was aboriginal, the Chief Coroner ordered that a portion of the jury be culturally representative. Alternating between two jury pools, three of the jurors chosen are aboriginal and three non-aboriginal.

They heard that A.P.G had been dead for some time when paramedics were called around 8:30 a.m. that day.

The foster mother of the deceased child testified that he was put to bed around 7:30 p.m. the night before his death. The next morning when she went to awake him, he was dead.

She said he took a fall down the basement stairs five days earlier, but seemed to recover. He had thrown up and been feverish in the days before his death, but she attributed it to a flu shot he had received on Dec. 8. The inquest heard that there were a total of six children in the home — three adopted and three in foster care.

An RCMP officer who visited the home said it appeared cluttered and unclean. The foster mother said she had been trying to hire a support worker, but had been having trouble. The last support worker had quit in June that year.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Coroner+inquest+examining+death+three+year+foster+child+begins+Regina/4157840/story.html#ixzz1C0RkD3F8

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Sask. foster child died from treatable chest infection, inquest hears
January 25, 2011

REGINA — A three-year-old child in foster care died from a highly treatable chest infection, a coroner's inquest heard Tuesday.

"He would have had a very good chance of survival," forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim testified. The chances of surviving such an infection are 90 to 95 per cent with medical treatment, she said, adding antibiotics would normally take care of it.

But the illness in A.P.G., who can only be identified by initials, went undetected. He was found dead in his crib at a Pense foster home on Dec. 17, 2009.

A.P.G. and his younger sister came into the foster home, where four other children resided, in June 2009. Under a publication ban, the children in care, their foster, adoptive and biological parents can only be identified by initials.

Brooks-Lim said an autopsy revealed the three-year-old had two lung infections — bronchial pneumonia and an influenza — that spread to his chest cavity, filling it with puss. She said infection likely developed and progressed over two weeks.

"This child would have been very sick," Brooks-Lim said. Symptoms would have included lethargy, fever, vomiting, coughing, loss of appetite, and likely rapid breathing as he tried to fill his lungs. "Breathing would have been very difficult," she testified.

The testimony was too much for the child's biological mother who left the hearing room at a Regina hotel in tears.

Read more

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Sask. foster child feverish, had trouble breathing day before death: foster brother
January 26, 2011

REGINA — Even before a three-year-old foster child died from a treatable chest infection, concerns were raised within the Ministry of Social Services about the state of the foster home where he was placed.

Testifying Wednesday at a coroner's inquest into the child's death, child protection worker Crystal Birnie said she was "very disturbed" by the cluttered, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions she found in the Pense foster home. "It didn't seem right for a child to live in that environment," said Birnie, who raised the issue with a supervisor and the worker responsible for the foster home.

Birnie, who was the worker for the deceased boy's younger sister, said she and other workers first raised concerns about the state of the home, where six children resided, in August 2009, and had understood that the Social Services Ministry's resources unit was handling the situation. However, she again raised concerns when she went back to the home in October that year, and again in November. "The home was of the most extreme I'd ever seen it," she said of the visit less than a month before the boy died.

A.P.G., who can only be identified by initials, was found dead in his crib on Dec. 17, 2009. A pathologist said he died from infections that spread from the lungs to his chest cavity. She said it would have been treatable with antibiotics, but the foster parents earlier testified they never thought he was seriously ill.

The oldest child in the home was interviewed after the boy's death. Then about age 12, he told Ministry staff that A.P.G.'s eyes were red and bulging the day before he died. He said the boy had a fever, trouble breathing, and was crying.

The foster parents slept in the basement. There wasn't a monitor in the toddler's room. The older boy, who also slept in the basement, told workers he usually checked on the child at night.

"He stopped crying in the middle of the night," he told Ministry staff. "When he stopped crying, I thought he was OK," he added, saying he felt "it's his fault" and was suicidal as a result.

A.P.G. underwent heart surgery in infancy. Asked to read from a report, A.P.G.'s child care worker Stephanie Ross noted an entry that says the boy is not to run a fever because it could be hard on his heart. The boy's foster parents have testified such information was never shared with them.

Although she too had concerns about the dirty house, Ross said, "there was no concern with the parenting."

Asked by a representative of the boy's biological parents if Ross believed the standard of care delivered to the child was met under Ministry policy, she replied, "I think it was met — I don't know."

Michelle Pyne, then with the Ministry, supervised a comprehensive investigation assessing the foster home after A.P.G.'s death.

Inside the home, she noted overwhelming clutter and debris, including paint cans, stained rugs, stacks of boxes, piles of clothing, cords hanging from counters, discarded food on the floor, bags of garbage, cords on blinds hanging near a crib, and filthy bathrooms. "There are small children in this home. There are many safety concerns," Pyne testified.

Her review also involved a "monumental investigation" examining all Ministry reports since the home was approved in 1999. "I don't think any one person had knowledge all these things were going on," she said. The review revealed chronic safety and quality of care issues, Pyne said.

Concerns had even been raised by biological parents about how the children appeared dirty during visits. In addition, Pyne noted some children developed respiratory ailments after their time in the home.

Lack of supervision was among the issues. In August before his death, A.P.G. and another child landed in hospital after getting into some pills during a vacation. The foster parents received instruction about a portable lock box. It was the second time a child in their care had gotten into medication.

The report revealed nine significant falls by young children down the basement stairs. A.P.G. had fallen five days before his death. There was no railing installed until after the death.

Despite several concerns in the reports, the home had been formally investigated only one other time, in 2001.

Pyne said the house was cleaned after the death, and three adopted children and one foster child were allowed to return because of their attachment to the foster parents. A.P.G.'s 20-month-old sister did not return. A plan was put in place for extensive contact and support to minimize the risk to the remaining children, Pyne said. However when similar concerns arose again in March 2010, all the children were removed.

However, the foster parents previously testified they currently reside in the home with their three adopted children.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Sask+foster+child+feverish+trouble+breathing+before+death+foster+brother/4172294/story.html#ixzz1CCghNPcN

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Coroner's jury gives recommendations at inquest probing death of foster boy
January 28, 2011

REGINA — The grandmother of a three-year-old boy who died in foster care made a tearful plea that his death results in change so other families can be spared from such a tragedy.

"One dies so many will live," said the woman, who cannot be identified under a publication ban, after a coroner's inquest probing the death ended Friday evening.

"This was a preventable death. We pray for all the children in care. This inquest took place to prevent this from happening to other children," she said, adding that it was stressful and traumatic to hear what happened to her grandchild.

A coroner's jury returned with seven recommendations directing the Ministry of Social Services to do everything from more thorough foster home checks to making them safer.

snipped. . . . .
Under the Coroner's Act, the jury must classify the death as natural, accidental, suicide, homicide, or undetermined. The jury deemed the boy's death was homicide — defined as the result of a voluntary act to cause fear, harm or death — but had inquired early in the deliberations where negligence fits. Wiebe said homicide, as defined by the Coroner's Act, does not include acts of omission, and if the death doesn't fit into the categories, it's undetermined.

The jury returned with draft recommendations about three hours into deliberations, but were sent back for revisions. The Coroner's Act requires that recommendations be practical and based only on the evidence heard.

READ MORE

Police allege underage girl suffered at the hands of accused torturer Paxton
September 2, 2010


Dustin Ward Paxton, 30, was wanted on Canada-wide warrants arising
from a four-month investigation that spanned three provinces.

CALGARY – Police allege an underage girl also suffered at the hands of a man charged with beating and holding his former roommate against his will for months.

The Calgary girl never reported the allegations to police. They learned about her involvement while investigating allegations of the lengthy beating, mutilation and sexual abuse of a 26-year-old man dumped near death at a Regina hospital in April.

Dustin Ward Paxton is charged with forcible confinement and aggravated assault in connection with the girl, who cannot be identified.

Paxton is accused of assaulting the young victim in a Calgary house at the same time as his 26-year-old roommate and business partner, who also cannot be named.

“She did not come forward,” said Insp. Monty Sparrow.

“During the course of our investigation, we identified her as a potential victim. We contacted her, and based on a statement she provided, we have two charges against him with her as a victim.”

Paxton, 30, is back in court Friday.

The first alleged victim, who is the father of an eight-year-old daughter, is now in Victoria recovering with family.

Police say he was sexually assaulted, beaten and forcibly confined over a two-year period between Dec. 1, 2008, and March 2, 2010.

When he was dropped off at a Regina hospital on April 16 by someone claiming to be his cousin, he was emaciated and barely alive. He suffered brain damage and burns and part of his lower lip and tongue were missing.

Read more here

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Judge bans public from Dustin Paxton's hearing in torture case
January 24, 2011

A judge has made a rare ruling to prohibit members of the public from attending a preliminary hearing for a man accused of torturing his roommate and assaulting three other people last year.

Provincial court Judge Brian Stevenson issued the ban on the opening day of a five-day hearing after lawyer Jim Lutz, who represents Dustin Ward Paxton, argued there have already been substantial postings on social media networks such as Facebook.

Lutz said he had a grave concern that his client would not have a fair trial if such members of the public are not controlled in their postings of prohibited testimony.

Accredited media, victims' assistants and other court staff will still be permitted to be in court during the hearings.

The judge also imposed a ban on the evidence during the hearing, to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send Paxton to trial, and on the names of the roommate and a teenage girl, both of whom he is also accused of sexually assaulting.

Read more here

More on this story:

Accused torturer faces new charges

Psychiatrist granted more time to assess torture accused

Warrants issues for Dustin Paxton in brutal beating, sex assaults

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Banning citizen journalists from torture court case ‘potentially dangerous’
By Robert Remington, Postmedia News January 29, 2011

CALGARY — As a traditional print journalist, I should be smug and gloating that bloggers have essentially been banned from a Calgary courtroom. Provincial court Judge Brian Stevenson’s ruling is an affirmation of the credibility of traditional media over the citizen journalism that was supposed to be our downfall.

Yet, there cannot be any joy in this for so-called legacy journalists such as me, or for the public. More reporting is always better than less.

Stevenson this week issued an exclusion order that bans everyone except staff and accredited journalists from the preliminary hearing of Dustin Ward Paxton, who is charged with torturing of a man in Regina.

Authorities say his 27-year-old roommate was badly beaten, confined and sexually assaulted between Dec. 1, 2008, and March 2, 2010.

Amateur journalists, and I use that term reluctantly, can attend if they sign an undertaking that they will abide by the court-ordered publication ban. Most journalists who regularly cover the courts in Alberta have registered with Alberta Justice and signed an agreement pertaining to the recording of proceedings.

The judge’s ruling really does nothing, however, to prevent the leakage of evidence.

Signing an undertaking with the court does nothing to prevent people from blogging under a pseudonym, although it does narrow the list of suspects. The anonymity of the blogosphere is one of its fatal credibility flaws. Unlike journalists who work for established media organizations, few bloggers have the courage to stand behind their real identities.

Considering that other safeguards and protections are in place with respect to pre-trial publicity, the judge’s ruling is curious. In a trial, all jurors must swear an oath that they will make decisions based only on the evidence they hear in court. During jury selection, lawyers can also exclude jurors whose partiality may be in doubt. If the court has no confidence in these procedures, it might as well get rid of the jury system — something nobody in a democracy would advocate.

Steven Penney, a University of Alberta law professor who specializes in technology and the law, agrees the judge’s ruling is a concern.

"An exclusion order is something that judges traditionally are very reluctant to impose because it is supposed to be an open and transparent process," he said when I spoke to him this week.

"It is a potentially dangerous thing to start making distinctions between accredited and non-accredited media and banning people from the courtroom based on speculative fears."

READ MORE

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Accused torturer Paxton to hear charges on Wednesday
January 31, 2011

CALGARY — A judge will decide on Wednesday if all or only some of the charges against accused torturer Dustin Ward Paxton should go to trial.

Provincial court Judge Brian Stevenson adjourned the decision after hearing arguments by defence lawyer Jim Lutz and Crown prosecutor Joe Mercier at the end of a five-day preliminary hearing on Monday.

Read more

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Dustin Paxton ordered to stand trial in Calgary on sex torture charges
February 2, 2011

Accused sexual torturer Dustin Ward Paxton has been ordered to stand trial on all of the primary criminal charges against him in connection with four victims, following a five-day preliminary hearing.

Provincial court Judge Brian Stevenson committed the accused on Wednesday to trial on 11 of 13 charges, including aggravated assault, unlawful confinement and sexual assault against his 27-year-old roommate and business partner.

The charges were previously separated with some being filed in Calgary and others in Regina, but they have now been consolidated in Calgary. The incidents are alleged to have occurred between Oct. 31, 2008, and April 16, 2010.

As well, the judge found there was sufficient evidence to send Paxton to trial for sexual assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement and common assault against a then 17-year-old girl. He did not find enough evidence relating to charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault against her.

Paxton will also go to trial for assaulting two male employees.

He is alleged to have assaulted Abraham Chuda with weapons - a dog leash and a baton - and uttering death threats between March 1 and Aug. 9, 2009.

He is also on his way to trial for assaulting Wayne Gillis with a weapon - pepper spray - and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31, 2009.

"In my opinion, the judge committed on the majority of counts we wanted," Crown prosecutor Joe Mercier said following the ruling.

Defence lawyers Jim Lutz and Andrea Serink had sought to have the sexual assaults and confinement charges against both the roommate and the girl dismissed, but the judge ruled otherwise.

Paxton, who has been in custody since shortly after the incidents ended and has elected to have his trial heard before a judge and jury, will appear in Court of Queen's Bench on April 1 to set a date for trial.

He will also have a mandatory detention review at that time.

Mercier said he expects the trial would not be heard until next fall and that it could take five to six weeks.

The male roommate and the girl cannot be identified because of a court-ordered publication ban, and the evidence cannot be reported because of a separate ban.

None of the evidence can be reported because of a separate ban.

The physical and sexual acts are alleged to have occurred in the men's Calgary apartment and in Regina after they moved there.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Dustin+Paxton+ordered+stand+trial+Calgary+torture+charges/4211422/story.html#ixzz1CwlOLlvi

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Paxton trial date decision delayed
April 01, 2011


Dustin Paxton, 30, faces charges including
aggravated assault, forcible confinement, sexual assault,
sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

A trial date for a man accused of mutilating, beating and starving his former roommate has been delayed because of the many witnesses who will be testifying.

Dustin Paxton, 30, faces charges including aggravated assault, forcible confinement, sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

The charges relate to separate alleged attacks against four individuals, including the roommate, whose name is under a publication ban.

Paxton's lawyer, Jim Lutz, said the witness list has 70 names on it and five open weeks are needed in the court schedule for the case involving the roommate.

Another court appearance has been set for April 29.

Lutz is optimistic the trial will be held by this fall.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/04/01/calgary-dustin-paxton-roommate-trial-delay.html

Ottawa man already sentenced for molesting four-year-old admits abusing sisters, 11 and 14
January 24, 2011 8:01 PM

OTTAWA —A 33-year-old Ottawa man who embarked on a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl before abusing her 11-year-old sister pleaded guilty Monday to sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching.

Collin Robinson’s plea came less than a week after another trial concluded in which he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 months in jail for sexually interfering with the girls’ four-year-old sister.

Robinson, already serving a four-year prison term for a savage and unrelated attack on an ex-girlfriend, was supposed to stand trial Monday, but instead admitted to having regular sex with the 14-year-old between April 2008 and February 2009.

Robinson eventually began exposing the girl’s 11-year-old sister to their activities, including having sex with the older girl while the younger girl watched television in the same room. On at least 10 occasions, Robinson received fellatio from the older girl while the younger sister was present, court heard.

Robinson soon began touching the 11-year-old, forcing her and her sister to remove their pants before fondling them. Robinson also fondled the 11-year-old’s breasts and performed oral sex on her.

Some of the incidents occurred while the girls’ mother was out, while other times their mother was in another room.

The 11-year-old later told police she was “very afraid” of Robinson, who instructed her not to tell anyone about the sexual abuse because he would go to jail if she did. He also vowed to “come after her” when he got out.

The girl also feared retaliation from her sister, who was in love with Robinson and treated him like a boyfriend. Crown prosecutor Suzanne Schriek said it was only on Friday that the 14-year-old, who steadfastly refused to testify against Robinson at his preliminary hearing last year, admitted for the first time she had been sexually abused.

Read more here

Related stories:
Convict jailed for touching four-year-old

Good luck in prison, judge tells Ottawa man...


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Sex abuse victim, 11, tells Ottawa judge she wants tormentor to suffer as she did
January 27, 2011

OTTAWA — An 11-year-old sexual abuse victim told a judge Thursday she would like to see the man who tormented her put in the electric chair.

“If I could choose, he would have all the stuff he did to me, done to him,” said the girl, who appeared on a television monitor to read her victim impact statement because she didn’t want to be in the same room as Collin Robinson.

“Collin should go in the electrical chair, put him in the middle of nowhere with little food or keep him locked up.”

Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty Monday to sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching on both the girl and her then-14-year-old sister between April 2008 and February 2009. Robinson, who is already serving a four-year prison sentence for a savage assault on an ex-girlfriend, was also previously found guilty and sentenced to 10 months in jail for sexually abusing the two girls’ four-year-old sister.

In a tearful statement from the prisoner’s box, Robinson said he was “deeply sorry” and begged the girls and their mother for forgiveness.

Robinson said he wanted the two girls to hear what he had to say, but Assistant Crown attorney Suzanne Schriek said they had no interest in hearing it.

“I want you girls to know it is OK to be sad, mad, upset and to hate me,” said Robinson, who clutched a tissue and choked back tears as he spoke, frequently stopping to regain his composure.

“I hate the things I did and I will always live with it,” he said. “I’m a strong believer in second chances and I pray I get mine.”

Court heard Robinson began a sexual relationship with the 14-year-old before eventually sexually touching the 11-year-old.

Schriek is asking Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Beaudoin to sentence him to eight to 10 years in prison. Robinson’s lawyer is asking for a sentence of three to five years.

Robinson is expected to be sentenced Friday.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/abuse+victim+tells+Ottawa+judge+wants+tormentor+suffer/4180612/story.html#ixzz1CKxndijG

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Judge adds 6½ years to prisoner’s sentence for assault on sisters, 14 and 11
January 28, 2011 6:35 PM

OTTAWA — An Ottawa man who sexually abused three sisters was sentenced Friday to a further 6½ years in prison.

Collin Robinson, 33, admitted earlier this week to sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching on the girls, aged 14 and 11.

He had previously been convicted of sexual interference on their four-year-old sister and was sentenced to 10 months in jail, a factor Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Beaudoin said he took into consideration when sentencing Robinson.

“The sentence of pain you have imposed of on your victims might never heal,” Beaudoin said.

Beaudoin found Robinson, who is already serving another four-year sentence for physically assaulting an ex-girlfriend, betrayed the trust of both the girls and their mother.

Robinson admitted to having regular sex with the 14-year-old, including in front of her younger sister.

Eventually he began sexually touching the 11-year-old girl and performed oral sex on her.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Judge+adds+years+prisoner+sentence+assault+sisters/4187503/story.html#ixzz1COGtRKod

Two men charged in infant assault
Two Fort Erie men have been charged with aggravated assault after a male infant suffered numerous serious injuries 16 months ago.

The men, who were allegedly the child's caregivers, were arrested Friday following an investigation launched by Niagara Regional Police in October 2009, police said Monday in a news release.

Investigators with the NRP child abuse unit began looking into the alleged assault after medical professionals reported a four-month-old boy had sustained a series of traumatic injuries, police said.

The child, who is now 20 months old, was removed from his home and placed in the care of Family and Children's Services Niagara immediately after investigators received the report of alleged abuse, police said.

The toddler remains in the care of FACS and is being monitored by medical professionals for effects from the injuries he suffered.

Police said details of the child's injuries will not be released because the information is considered evidence in the pending court case.

Mikol Zahorchak, 31, and David Nelson, 47, both of Radford Ave. in Fort Erie, are each charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

The suspects were released from custody on a promise to appear in Fort Erie's provincial court March 22.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at 905-871- 2300, ext. 5100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2944957

Mom pleads guilty to child neglect
January 25, 2011 | 4:28 PM NT

A central Newfoundland mother pleaded guilty Tuesday in an alarming child neglect case that involved severe burns, broken bones and brain trauma.

The Grand Falls-Windsor woman, who cannot be named because of a court order, did not attend court on Tuesday. Instead, her lawyer entered a guilty plea to a charge of failing to provide the necessities of life.

The case involved a five-year-old boy who was rushed to the Janeway hospital in St. John's after authorities visited a Grand Falls-Windsor apartment and discovered the child had severe burns on his legs. The boy's legs were so infected that he was kept in hospital for three months.

The case became notorious through disclosures made in the case of Glenn Budgell, who pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to mistreatment of the boy, as well as assault of two other boys. Budgell was given a three-year jail sentence.

During his trial, it came out that the mother had been treating the burned boy with medicated cream and bandages, instead of taking him for medical treatment for infected wounds.

The five-year-old had also suffered brain trauma, broken ribs and pelvis and partial paralysis in one arm.

The mother was subsequently charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.

The woman will be sentenced in March.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2011/01/25/mother-child-neglect-125.html#ixzz1C6geFNSl

Related:

Mom defends accused in N.L. child assault case

Injured boy might have died from burns, court told

Prison sentence in N.L. child neglect case

Sketch released of suspect and his tattoo in attempted Chilliwack child abduction
January 26, 2011


Chilliwack RCMP have released composite sketches of a suspect and his unique hand tattoo after an attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl Nov. 22

Chilliwack RCMP have released composite sketches of a suspect and his unique hand tattoo after an attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl in November last year.

Police say the suspect is described as Caucasian, five feet six inches, in his 30s and with a slim build. The suspect may have pimples on his face, and was wearing black-rimmed glasses. The male was also described as having a blue and green tattoo of a snake on the back of his left hand.

Police say the man had approached the girl at the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, about 5 p.m. Nov. 22, and offered her a ride.

She said no and walked back to the centre where she had just finished a swim, police say.

Then the man pursued her and apparently tried to grab her shoulder. But the girl went inside and waited for her mother to pick her up, and the man left.

If you have any information on who the suspect may be, please contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477). Crime Stoppers tips can also be made online at www.chilliwackcrimestoppers.ca . A reward of up to $2,000 dollars may be offered for information that leads to identifying the suspect.

Read more

Quebec couple arrested in sex assault of toddler
January 26, 2011

A young couple in Sherbrooke, Que., has been charged after an 18-month-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted over the past few months.

Sherbrooke police arrested a 24-year-old man on Saturday and a 20-year-old woman on Monday.

Under law, the name of the child and anything that could identify him or her can't be released.

"Because of the age of the victim, we cannot reveal details on this file, in order to protect the identity of the young victim," said Sherbrooke police spokesman Martin Carrier in French.

There are reports the 24-year-old has been accused of possession of pornographic material, sexual contact with a minor, assault and sexual assault.

"The two individuals are well known to police," Carrier said.

The woman is expected to attend a bail hearing on Thursday. The man will appear in court Feb. 1.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2011/01/26/mtl-infant-sex-assault.html#ixzz1CCICof1r

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Parents accused of sexually assaulting their 18-month-old daughter
snipped...

The mother, 20 and father, 24 appeared before Judge Michel Beauchemin of the Court of Quebec to be charged with a string of charges related to acts committed against their own child.

The father appeared in court Monday. The mother appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges filed against her.

The mother is charged with sexual assault, sexual touching, sexual assault with the participation of another person and invitation to sexual touching. She will return to court for a bail hearing.

The accused father in this case was registered as a sex offender for a period of 20 years. He will return to court on Feb. 1.

Read moreRead more

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More charges against the father
February 1, 2011

(SHERBROOKE) Charges of incest, sexual assault with the participation of another person and invitation to sexual touching, were added against the 24-year-old father to various other charges of sexual abuse on his 18-month-old daughter.

Serious charges were also brought against the mother of the girl. The man who can not be named to protect the identity of his young victim was back in court Tuesday in Sherbrooke.

His lawyer Me Stéphanie Côté registered his pleas of not guilty to the charges against her client.

The individual charged in this case, who was already registered as a sex offender for a period of 20 years, is also accused of sexual assault, sexual interference, possession of child pornography and three counts of assaulting his wife . Some of the charges against the father include minimum periods of detention.

In 2007 he was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2007 for various acts of a sexual nature on minors.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/sherbrooke/201102/01/01-4365905-bebe-agresse-dautres-accusations-portees-contre-le-pere.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_lire_aussi_4363601_article_POS4

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Accused child abuser faces new incest charge
February 24, 2011

Already facing charges of sexual abuse and incest for acts committed against his 18-month-old daughter, a 24-year-old Sherbrooke man saw another charge of incest against his own sister laid against him on Wednesday.

Detained since his arrest last month, the information was made public during the suspect’s judicial hearing at the Raynald-Fréchette courthouse Wednesday morning.

According to reports from the courthouse, the acts against his sister are said to have been committed in December 2010. The victim, said to be in her twenties, could also face similar charges to those of her brother.

The 24-year-old father is already facing a series of charges including incest, sexual assault in the presence of another person, inciting sexual contact, possession of child pornography, sexual assault, and assault against a minor. The charges are stemming from acts committed between October 2010 and January 2011.

The 20-year-old mother of the victimized child has also been detained and charged with a series of crimes related to the affair.

The father’s defence lawyer Stéphanie Côté asked that her client undergo a psychiatric evaluation; a request granted by presiding Quebec Court judge Michel Beauchemin. Lawyer Émilie Baril-Côté is handling the case for the Crown.

The 18-month-old was handed over to Child Protective Services (DPJ) following the arrest of her parents.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, incest is defined as having sexual intercourse with another person, knowing that the person "is by blood relationship his or her parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent or grandchild.”

The mother is scheduled to appear in court on Friday where she will learn whether judge Beauchemin will grant her conditional release.

The father’s next court date has been set for March 4.

http://www.sherbrookerecord.com/content/view/598582/1/

Grandma tells court that girl is 'angry teen' after abuse
January 28, 2011 4:02 AM

SURREY - A Guildford grandma testified in Surrey provincial court Wednesday that before her nine-year-old granddaughter was allegedly attacked by long-time family friend Kyle Berkson in their home, she used to enjoy playing with her Barbie dolls.

"She grew up instantly into an angry teenager," the grandma said. The woman's name cannot be published, on account of a court-ordered publication ban shielding the identity of the victim.

Berkson, 36, is on trial, charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault with a weapon, invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference and making threats. He's accused of sneaking into the home in the dead of night.

Berkson listened from the prisoner's dock, with his hair cropped close and wearing a red prisoner shirt, as the woman testified.

The court heard she and her common-law husband have custody of the girl, and that their bedrooms were next to one another, at the rear of their house. During the wee hours of April 23, 2010, she said, she called emergency 911 after her granddaughter came into her room.

"She showed me her arm," she told the court. "It was bleeding. She showed me her shorts were cut, right in the crotch area."

The woman said she noticed the back porch door, which she said was usually locked, was ajar. It leads to a stairway heading into their backyard.

"It looked like he left in a hurry," she said.

The witness said she's known Berkson since he was 12 years old.

"He was a bit of a problem child," she said. She added that Berkson's dad had been a locksmith.

The court heard Berkson had visited the home "many times" before.

The trial continues.

Read more: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/Grandma+tells+court+that+girl+angry+teen+after+abuse/4183534/story.html#ixzz1CL3ugyrw

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A child's scars can linger for a lifetime
January 28, 2011

Men who molest children --and it's usually men who have a compulsion for this -- are often considered the scum of the earth.

Shocking evidence this week at the trial of a man charged with molesting a nine-year-old Surrey girl shows why this is the case.

As the grandmother of the victim testified, the little girl used to be a normal, happy-go-lucky child who played with dolls and wanted to be a princess.

But all that changed one night eight months ago when the girl woke up her grandma, who'd raised her from a young age, to tell her that she'd been "raped."

The grandmom told the court that, since then, the girl's personality had undergone a complete transformation: "She grew up instantly into an angry teenager."

For example, the girl doesn't pay attention to her personal hygiene as she used to do. And she pretends to be a bigger, stronger person than she is.

What appears to have occurred is what happens to all child victims of adult molestation: They lose their innocence . . . and they lose it far too early.

Attacks by child molesters are not simply physical in nature. They literally steal a child's soul.

The damage this causes is incalculable. It can linger for a lifetime and even get handed down from one generation to another.

That is why society has every right to feel revulsion to these kind of sexual assaults -- and why it must do everything in its power to stamp them out.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/child+scars+linger+lifetime/4183044/story.html#ixzz1CL4GijGP

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Surrey girl, 10, faces alleged molester in court
January 28, 2011

Warning: Disturbing content.

SURREY - A young Surrey girl testifying against her alleged abuser Kyle Berkson in Surrey provincial court today described the "rape" in detail but admitted under cross examination that it's possible "she might be wrong" that it was Berkson who assaulted her.

SURREY - A young Surrey girl testifying against her alleged abuser Kyle Berkson in Surrey provincial court today described the "rape" in detail but admitted under cross examination that it's possible "she might be wrong" that it was Berkson who assaulted her.

Berkson, 36, is on trial, charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault with a weapon, invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference and making threats. He's accused of sneaking into the girl's Guildford home in the dead of night and sexually assaulting her in her bedroom.

There is a publication ban prohibiting the publication of any information that could identify the 10-year-old girl.

She was nine when the crime is alleged to have happened. She told the court she was sleeping in bed, on her back, when she was woken by a man sitting on top of her. She said she could "kind of" see his face, and that he had hair like Elvis.

"I think it was Kyle Berkson," she testified. "It sounded like him and kind of looked like him." She identified Berkson in the prisoner's box.

She said the attacker whispered to her to be quiet, and she obeyed because she was scared.She said he put his finger inside her and "it hurt." He also licked her face, as well as down below, she told the court, and she felt "very, very grossed out and scared." He then put his legs on her shoulders.

"He started humping me."

Crown prosecutor Annette Jung asked the girl if she knew what sex was, and she replied, "It's a boy and a girl trying for a baby."

As he was leaving, she said, "he told me to be quiet, stay there five minutes or he and his buddy would start shooting."

The girl testified that after four minutes had passed, she went to her grandma's bedroom, which was next to hers, "and told her I got raped."

Her wrist was also bleeding.

"Somewhere in the events he stabbed me," she said. "I think it was a pocket knife."

Her grandma testified in Surrey provincial court Wednesday that after the assault the girl "grew up instantly into an angry teenager."

The court heard she and her common-law husband have custody of the girl, and that their bedrooms were next to one another, at the rear of their house. During the wee hours of April 23, 2010, she said, she called emergency 911 after her granddaughter came into her room.

"She showed me her arm," she told the court. "It was bleeding."

"She showed me her shorts were cut, right in the crotch area."

The woman said she noticed the back porch door, which she said was usually locked, was ajar. It leads to a stairway heading into their backyard.

"It looked like he left in a hurry," she said.

The grandma said she's known Berkson since he was 12 years old.

"He was a bit of a problem child," she said. She added that Berkson's dad had been a locksmith.

The court heard Berkson had visited the home "many times" before.

During cross-examination on Friday, defence lawyer David Gable asked the girl if it's possible she'd had a nightmare, and the attack was imagined. She replied that that wasn't the case.

Berkson listened from the prisoner's dock, with his hair cropped close and wearing a red prisoner shirt, facing the girl as she testified.

Gable questioned her about the identity of her alleged attacker.

"The first thing I thought was Kyle Berkson," she told the court. "I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure it was Kyle."

"I couldn't see the eyes, ears or nose," she said.

Gable asked how she knew what rape was.

"I saw on the news about people getting raped," she replied. Asked where she'd heard the word "humping," the girl replied, "I'm not sure...I just know words."

Asked how she felt about all of this, she said she was scared and shocked.

"Maybe this didn't happen?" Gable suggested.

"It did," she said firmly.

The trial continues.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Surrey+girl+faces+alleged+molester+court/4187997/story.html#ixzz1CPGAKbOw

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Judge reserves decision on Surrey sex assault case
February 3, 2011

Lawyers wrapped up their cases Wednesday in the sexual assault trial of Surrey's Kyle Berkson, with the defense suggesting that the alleged young victim may have exaggerated or fabricated the entire incident.

Berkson, 36, is accused of sneaking into a nine-year-old girl's bedroom last April and sexually assaulting her in her bed. He faces charges of breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault with a weapon, invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference and uttering threats.

In making his closing submissions, defense lawyer David Gable told the court the case against Berkson is purely circumstantial, and said there are many missing pieces to what he called a "jigsaw puzzle" of evidence.

Gable argued a medical exam provided no solid evidence a sexual assault even occurred – noting an attending doctor said the demeanour of the girl was unusually upbeat under the circumstances.

Gable also said evidence identifying Berkson as the perpetrator is deficient, if a sexual assault indeed occurred. He said the description of the perpetrator varied widely from witness to witness and that perhaps the alleged victim was using Berkson as a "reference point" in terms of providing a description of her attacker.

The Crown disputed the assertion the evidence is only circumstantial, noting there is not only direct and corroborative, but ample physical evidence, such as Berkson's DNA on the girl's cheek, a pill bottle of the accused's found in her bedroom, and the victim's torn bathing suit bottom.

Prosecutor Lynett Jung argued the "constellation of evidence" proves beyond a reasonable doubt Berkson is guilty on all four charges.

She said Berkson had been in the home many times and was familiar with the unique layout, a witness saw a man similar in description to Berkson sitting in a car adjacent to the victim's home prior to the offense, and another witness testified the accused had bragged about his ability to crack any lock (his father is a locksmith).

The girl, now 10 years old, testified last week that she woke up in the middle of the night last April 23 to a man sitting on top of her. She said he sexually assaulted her, tried to get her to perform oral sex, licked her cheek and threatened her before leaving. She said the man sounded and "kind of" looked like Berkson, a friend of the family's, and identified him in the courtroom.

Gable warned to be cautious when dealing with such a young, sympathetic witness as it makes the objectivity of the court that much more difficult.

The judge reserved his decision, but a verdict is expected within the next two weeks.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/115143019.html

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MAN GUILTY OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL
February 15, 2011

The little girl, flanked by her parents and a family friend, smiled when the judge read the guilty verdict Tuesday afternoon.

Kyle Berkson, the man accused of sneaking into her bedroom when she was nine years old and sexually assaulting her, was found guilty of breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault with a weapon, invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference and uttering threats.

Outside Surrey Provincial Court, the now-10-year-old girl, who cannot be identified under court order, said she was "glad" Berkson had been convicted.

Her grandmother, who has been caring for the girl since she was a baby and whom she calls Mom, said she hoped no other family would have to go through anything similar.

"A child should have the right to sleep in their own home," she said, lauding her daughter for being brave and taking the stand.

The girl testified during the trial that she woke up in the middle of the night last April 23 to a man sitting on top of her. She said he sexually assaulted her, tried to get her to perform oral sex, licked her cheek and threatened her before leaving. The girl said she was scared and that the man sounded and looked like Berkson, a friend of the family's.

A pill bottle with Berkson's name was found in the child's room after the incident, as was a flashlight and pair of scissors which her parents said were not theirs. The shorts the girl wore to bed had been cut in the crotch area.

As well, Berkson's DNA was found on the girl's cheek – consistent with her testimony that he licked her. Judge James Donald Bahen said the chance the DNA was not the accused's was one in 1.4 trillion.

During the trial, prosecutor Lynett Jung said Berkson had been in the home many times and was familiar with the unique and complicated layout, and another witness testified the accused had bragged about his ability to crack any lock (his father is a locksmith).

Defense lawyer David Gable had argued the case against Berkson was purely circumstantial, and said there were many missing pieces to what he called a "jigsaw puzzle" of evidence. He suggested that perhaps the girl had made the story up.

Judge Bahen disagreed.

"This incident was not a bad dream or a deliberate fabrication," he said, noting the child wouldn't sleep in her own room after the incident and wanted to get a new bed.

He credited the girl with her clear, carefully worded and intelligent testimony, saying she never appeared flippant and took the court process seriously.

Berkson will be sentenced at a later date.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/116268129.html

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Surrey sex predator's lawyer a no show; dangerous offender hearing put off
March 18, 2011

Prosecutor Lynett Jung was in Courtroom 103 at Surrey provincial court Friday morning to begin the process of having the guilty man declared a dangerous, or long-term, offender.

Jung said she was going to ask the judge to order a psychiatric assessment of Berkson as the first step in the process, but the guilty man's lawyer, David Gable, didn't show up.

The hearing was scheduled to begin at 9:30 that morning, but 90 minutes later, Gable had still not been located and the girl's grandparents were informed it was unlikely the hearing would proceed that day.

A new date had not been set when this story was filed.

Read more: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/life/Surrey+predator+lawyer+show+dangerous+offender+hearing/4466946/story.html#ixzz1H9rynXNT

Teenager recounts drunken night of horror spent with man facing DTES drug charges
January 29, 2011


Friends and family of victims outside the bail hearing for convicted sex offender
Martin Tremblay at B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver, B.C., January 28, 2011.
Photograph by: Nick Procaylo, PNG

Tears run down the 17-year-old girl’s face as she recounts in a whisper the drunken night two years ago she spent with a sex offender previously convicted of sexually assaulting five teenage girls.

Standing outside Vancouver Provincial Court, the girl agreed to talk through her fear and embarrassment because she wants to make sure Martin Tremblay, 45, stays behind bars.

Tremblay, convicted in December 2003 of sexually assaulting the five girls between the ages of 13 and 15, all First Nations, was scheduled for a bail hearing Friday on a string of drug charges relating to offences in Vancouver this year.

Last year, Tremblay was linked to two teenage girls who died within hours of each other, but was never charged.

The Province has learned that Tremblay’s arrest this month is related to Project Rescue, one of two major Vancouver police investigations unveiled last week targeting the city’s most violent and predatory drug dealers.

Vancouver police announced Thursday that they’d made eight arrests connected to projects Tyrant and Rescue and promised more would follow. Tremblay was not mentioned, but Const. Lindsey Houghton said details of his arrest on drug charges will be forthcoming.

Families of Tremblay’s alleged victims and women’s groups from the Downtown Eastside, meantime, staged an emotional protest Friday outside the courthouse, concerned that Tremblay could get bail.

“It scares me,” the girl said when asked about the possibility of Tremblay getting out. “[I want the courts] to keep him in jail and keep him away.”

It was two years ago, she says, that Martin Tremblay walked into her life, a man described as a charmer who liked to flash his cash and who the other girls referred to as their street dad.

It’s the term her close friend, Kayla Lalonde, used when introducing her to Tremblay that first night the three of them shared sips from a bottle of hard liquor. Tremblay kept the bottles coming and soon they went to another house, where she blacked out.

She says she woke up the next morning in a car park, half-dressed with no shoes on, but has never reported the incident to police. Lalonde, she says, woke up at a downtown bus stop with no clothes on.

A year later, on March 2, 2010, Lalonde was dead, her body dumped on the side of the road in the 400-block of Rumble Street in Burnaby. She was 16.

Later that same morning, her friend, 17-year-old Martha Jackson Hernandez, died in hospital after being rushed by ambulance from a home in the 4200-block of Smith Crescent in Richmond that was being rented to a Martin Trembley.

Toxicology reports indicate the girls died from a lethal mix of alcohol and drugs and police believe their deaths are linked. At the time, friends of the two teens told The Province the girls had been hanging out with a man they called Martin.

During his B.C. Supreme Court trial in 2003, Tremblay admitted to court that he lured the teens to his home with promises of drugs and alcohol. When they passed out, he videotaped himself assaulting them.

He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and 18 months’ probation.

Outside Vancouver court, Mona Woodward, Women’s Memorial March organizer and Sister Watch representative, said she wonders whether Tremblay may have more victims who are too afraid to come forward.

Selena Chavez, 13, who also attended court Friday, says she knows a few teenagers who have had bad experiences.

“I just want him to stay in jail and for people to not have to worry about being sexually abused or drugged by this man,” she said. “I don’t think we should have to worry about this kind of stuff.”

Tremblay’s bail hearing was postponed to Feb. 3 and he remains in custody.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Teenager+recounts+drunken+night+horror+spent+with+facing+DTES+drug+charges/4191584/story.html#ixzz1CV4pmVqT

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Sex offender a community menace: protesters

Protesters from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside gathered outside a provincial court building Friday to protest the possible release of a convicted sex offender.

About a dozen members of the city's First Nations community said they opposed the release of Martin Tremblay, who was convicted of five counts of sexual assault in 2003.

Tremblay, 45, was sentenced to 14 months after he was found guilty of plying five aboriginal teenaged girls with drugs and alcohol and then videotaping his sex acts with them after they passed out.

He was scheduled to make a court appearance Friday on charges of trafficking crack cocaine and had been in custody since his arrest.

The protesters alleged that young women in their community weren't safe if Tremblay was on the streets.

"I think that if this guy gets released that that's saying something to the community that, you know, they're not caring for youth, and they're not caring for people," one protester said

Read More


Related:

Teens' deaths drug and alcohol related: police

Party drug blamed for teens' deaths

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Vancouver police call out to sex victims
February 11, 2011

Vancouver Police have taken the extraordinary step of issuing a public plea for victims of a man called Martin Tremblay.

Tremblay is currently facing four counts of trafficking cocaine and one charge of possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, but has a criminal record for plying teenage Aboriginal girls with alcohol and drugs and then sexually assaulting them.

Police believe there are more victims and they're asking them to come forward in an effort to keep Tremblay in jail.

Tremblay, 45, was convicted of five counts of sexual assault in 2002 and sentenced to 14 months after he was found guilty of plying five aboriginal teenaged girls with drugs and alcohol and then videotaping his sex acts with them after they passed out.

In March 2010, Tremblay was linked to two teenaged girls who died within hours of each other.

Kayla LaLonde, 16, and Martha Hernandez, 17, had partied at Tremblay's home the night before they died as a result of overdosing on a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Lalonde was found dead on a Burnaby street after witnesses said she had been dumped from a van.

Hernandez died later after being rushed by ambulance from Tremblay's Richmond home.

No charges have been laid in connection with the girls' deaths.
More charges in alleged terror ring

Police also said charges have been laid against 11 individuals for crimes targeting vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside. In all, 48 charges have been laid including extortion, sexual assault, forcible confinement and assault with a weapon

READ MORE

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Martin Tremblay

More Arrests – Sister Watch Project

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Police seek witnesses to help keep sex assault suspect in jail
February 11, 2011

snipped.....
As well as information about the RCMP investigation, police on Friday released a photograph of Mr. Tremblay and information about his previous crimes in an attempt to encourage victims of the sexual assaults to come forward with evidence that might help keep the Downtown Eastside resident in jail.

“We don’t usually tell you about a person’s extensive criminal record or that we suspect their involvement in many unsolved crimes, but this time is different,” said Inspector Robinson. “The only way we can guarantee that he won’t harm more women is if he stays in jail.”

At least 14 Aboriginal girls have come forward as witnesses, but some are still waiting to speak to investigators, said Mona Woodward, executive director of Aboriginal Front Door Society, a resource centre for aboriginal people downtown. Women’s groups unsuccessfully tried to persuade the courts to classify Mr. Tremblay as a dangerous offender in 2003. Ms. Woodward criticized the police and justice system for releasing Mr. Tremblay without conditions eight years ago.

Mr. Tremblay was charged with drugging girls, ages 13 to 15, and shooting videos of himself assaulting them while they were unconscious. Some of the girls learned of the assaults during the trial when they were shown still photos from the videos.

READ MORE

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Convicted sex offender Martin Tremblay

Downtown Eastside sexual predator Martin Tremblay behind bars
February 15, 2011


Alanna Gauley, 22 (L) and Krystal (R) outside B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver on Tuesday
February 15, 2011. Both girls claim to be victims of sexual predator Martin Tremblay.
Photograph by: Les Bazso, PNG

A young woman sobbed in outrage in B.C. provincial court Tuesday as convicted sex offender Martin Tremblay was sentenced to 11 months in jail on two drug counts.

Outside, an angry circle of young aboriginal women drummed and shouted out their anger, holding up the photo of Tremblay released by Vancouver police, who on Feb. 11 identified Tremblay as a convicted sex offender and have asked all potential victims to come forward now he’s in jail.

Tremblay, 45, was convicted Tuesday only of two counts of trafficking and possession of cocaine on the Downtown Eastside.

B.C. provincial court Judge Gregory Rideout rebuked the “predatory nature” of men targetting vulnerable drug-users struggling to survive.

“That struggle is not helped by people like Mr. Tremblay coming into the Downtown Eastside to traffic,” noted Rideout.

“Violence and drug-dealing seem to go hand-in-hand,” said Rideout.

Inside the courtroom Alana Gauley, 22, sobbed and shouted “rapist” before leaving the court in tears.

“Martin Tremblay drugged me with the date-rape drug and raped me when I was 14,” claimed Gauley. “He gave me a big glass of orange juice and that was the last thing I knew. I woke up naked on his bed.

“He did the same thing to my sister and like, 10 girls that I know of, just buying them any alcohol they wanted, and any drug,” alleged Gauley, saying that Tremblay plied underage native girls with alcohol and drugs and asked them to call him “Dad.”

Tremblay was convicted in 2002 of five counts of drugging underage aboriginal girls, then sexually assaulting them and videotaping the assaults.

Some images have even been posted on the Internet, horrifying young victims, who also say they have been threatened by Tremblay’s friends.

READ MORE

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February 23, 2011

A Vancouver Police media blitz to keep an accused serial rapist behind bars has had promising results.

Nearly two weeks after police held up a photo of Martin Tremblay and pleaded with victims to come forward, Cst. Jana McGuinness says several new tips are being pursued, "I can't share a lot of detail at this point because they're fairly sensitive, but the information is coming in and that's very encouraging. A little bit early to speculate on where these investigations will go, but we are encouraged by what we're hearing."

Earlier this month, the 45-year old convicted sex offender was sentenced to 11-months on drug charges, but Tremblay's also suspected of assaulting several young First Nations women after getting them drunk or high.

http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1369332