Watching the wheels of justice turn
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Watching the wheels of justice turn
by MICHAEL HARRIS
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Harris_Michael/2005/10/21/1271667.html
Important news cuts to the heart twice; first, with the individual details of the
story, and then by the dread meaning it holds for the rest of us.
In crime reporting that means our hearts break over the senseless loss of individual
human life and then our minds get going on how to limit similar tragedies in the
future. Yesterday's advance in the Ardeth Wood murder investigation is a case in
point. Both heart and mind are now fully engaged.
In a press conference that really supplied more questions than answers, we now know
that police have charged a 25-year-old man in the 2003 slaying of Ardeth Wood. His
name is Chris Myers and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. That principle
extends to the other four sexual assault charges he faces in Ottawa.
We also know that Myers came to the attention of the police early on in their
investigation. In addition to the alleged sexual assaults in Ottawa, there was also a
charge in North Bay, where the accused has been in custody since May 2005.
Here are some things I would like to know about this particular case: Why was Chris
Myers of interest to police so early in the Ardeth Wood investigation? Was his name
on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry? (It couldn't have been on the National Sex
Offender Registry because that wasn't created until late 2004.) Was Myers on
probation or parole at any time during the offences with which he is charged?
Finally, did the alleged killer leave any DNA evidence at the Ardeth Wood crime
scene?
The best we can do for the young woman who was found submerged in Green's Creek on
Sunday, Aug. 10, 2003 is to pursue the facts of this case indefatigably through the
courts to a final determination. Either Chris Myers will be proven guilty or the
evidence against him will fail and he will be a free man. An individual tragedy will
either find closure or the misery will continue. The social debate is another matter.
What would happen to such a person if he were to be convicted? And that brings me to
Ralph Ernest Power. On July 2, 2006, Power is set to walk free from prison after a
crime spree back in 1981 that included the meticulous sexual stalking of 15 women in
Toronto and ultimately the murder of fashion model Sheryl Gardner. It was the
victim's sister, Carolyn Gardner, who lobbied MPs last year for a law that would
force convicted killers to provide a DNA sample to a national DNA bank. She
succeeded -- Bill C-13 became law. The way the law was written added 5,000
retroactive offenders to the system and that is all to the good.
But the sad fact is that Canada still does not have a sexual predator law that would
allow for the detention of high risk offenders beyond the expiration of their
warrant. That's why serial pedophile Peter Whitmore is once again at large, even
though he routinely violated his parole conditions by being in the presence of
children and officials in the Correctional Service of Canada agree that he has a 100%
likelihood of re-offending during the next seven years.
Our dangerous offender laws are there, but you would never know it from how
frequently they are used by the courts. The main reason for that is that these laws
can only be invoked at the time of sentencing, not release.
Another area where we can protect society and help police investigate sex crimes is
the DNA databank that people like Carolyn Gardner and Steve Sullivan navigated
through a reluctant system. It has already proven invaluable in solving
heart-wrenching crimes similar to the murder of Ardeth Wood, but it can only be taken
after a conviction. Compare that to Britain, for example, where DNA samples are
routinely taken at the time of arrest for anything.
There is crime and there ought to be punishment. We need to get tough and stay tough
on sentencing, with far more attention paid to risk assessment. Any system, like the
one we have, that releases a convict knowing that he has not responded to treatment
and is virtually certain to reoffend is complicit in his future crimes. Conditional
sentences for violent offenders are a bad joke on every law abiding citizen.
For now, we have a federal prison system that obsesses about the early release of
prisoners and trivializes the sentences they do receive. Edmonton serial rapist Larry
Takahashi was given an escorted temporary absence to play golf only five years after
receiving three life sentences for a series of vicious sexual assaults against seven
women. And James Sweeney, a murderer and sexual sadist, raped and killed halfway
house worker Celia Ruygrok back in 1985. Somebody, somewhere in the system put him
back on the street.
It is ironic that on the day that police arrest a suspect in the Ardeth Wood murder
case, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and Justice Minister Irwin Cotler announced
new government initiatives to support victims of crime. Canada now has a new National
Office for Victims within the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
to supply a much needed victim "lens" on the criminal justice system. And from now
on, victims of crime who want to attend the parole hearings of the people who
murdered or harmed their loved ones can get financial assistance to make the trip.
It is a beginning Ardeth Wood, but we have far to go to keep faith with you
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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