Chief judge to examine jailing of sexual assault victim
原始发布日期： 2017-06-06 发布者：虫子字变大 字变小
 The provincial court’s top judge will examine the circumstances that led to a victim of sexual assault being jailed and shackled alongside the man later convicted of attacking her. In a written statement Tuesday morning, Provincial court chief Judge Terry Matchett said that because he has received no complaint of misbehaviour or misconduct by the involved judge, he cannot conduct a review or impose sanctions. However, Matchett added that given the circumstances that resulted in provincial court Judge Raymond Bodnarek ordering the incarceration of a woman who came to court to testify against the man who dragged her into his home and sexually and physically assaulted her, he will be taking a look at the case. “I will be conducting a detailed examination of the all of the circumstances of this case to determine what if any lessons we as a Court can learn,” Matchett wrote in the statement. Lance David Blanchard was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon, threatening to cause death or bodily harm and breaching conditions of his release in December 2016. He was acquitted of attempted murder in the case. Blanchard’s victim, whose identity is protected under a publication ban, gave evidence about the attack at a preliminary hearing held in June 2015. She was killed in an unrelated matter before the case could go to trial, but her evidence during the preliminary hearing was used in the case against Blanchard. In his written reasons for decision the, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin apologized to the woman for the way she was treated on behalf of the court — being held at the Edmonton Remand Centre alongside Blanchard, being transported to the courthouse in the same van as him, and being shackled while in the courtroom. On Monday, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley expressed outrage at the treatment of the woman, and announced plans for an independent investigation into the case, as well as the commission of a special committee to make policy recommendations Blanchard, who has a long record of convictions for violent and sexual offences has applied for a stay of his convictions based on what his lawyer Tom Engel has described as “cruel and unusual” conditions at the Edmonton Remand Centre where Blanchard is held as a maximum security prisoner. The closing arguments in Blanchard’s application began Tuesday morning and are expected to wrap up Wednesday. pparsons@postmedia.com twitter.com/paigeeparsons |