09.22.2014 09:21 AM

[Name redacted] Case: guilty

I’ve been following this important case for quite some time. From her Dad, this morning, som,e important news:

This morning I sat in a Halifax courtroom and listened as one of the young men involved with my daughter’s case change his plea to guilty. He is guilty of producing child pornography. He is the person who clicked the button on that cellphone, and as simply as that, he ended her life.

It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m sure some will hope our family can find some peace but the truth is that plea opens the door to some serious questions.

Why did the RCMP originally tell us the production of this imagine wasn’t a police matter when it was? Why did they do nothing to protect a victim of child pornography for almost two years when they knew this image was out there, who had it, and who was spreading it. Why did they arrest no one when it would have made a difference to do so? Why did the tell us it was not a police matter but rather a “community issue” when that was obviously not the case?

Why did Cole Harbour High knowingly allow child pornography to be openly distributed throughout the school and do nothing about it? This went on for months. Is that the response we want from school officials when it comes to a crime like this?

Most importantly, why would any of us think it would be different if it happened again? What measures have been taken? Are the same people in the same positions and are they going to show the same indifference to the next victim?

7 Comments

  1. Derek Pearce says:

    This is a start. Are the Parsons planning on suing the RCMP after the criminal cases are resolved? I hope so.

  2. que sera sera says:

    Why? Misogyny.

  3. Pipes says:

    I feel rather blood thirsty about this. Every single person and organization involved in this should be brought to justice.

  4. To Que Sera Sera: Misogyny exists and that it is the reason for the crimes against Rehtaeh, but I don’t think that is the reason for what happened after. A female RCMP officer was the lead “investigator” (a term I’ll use charitably in this case) and many women were involved at the schools, in the public prosecution service, and in health-care. I think the main reason for the failure of all of those public bodies is collective bureaucratic incompetence. People don’t do the right thing sometimes because it’s against a policy, a rule, or because they are afraid of sticking their neck out. I worked in government for four years and saw this first-hand. I couldn’t take it, so I got out.

    Neither is it a partisan issue as some, such as Warren, have suggested. The failure of the system to do the things that could have been done to make a difference for Rehtaeh Parsons would have occurred if there were Tories or Liberals in charge. The initial failure of then Justice Minister Ross Landry was not because he was an NDP Justice Minister, it was because he is a former RCMP officer. That background betrayed his judgment on the file and he was quickly over-ruled by sharper minds who supplanted him in the key role he should have played on the file.

    If you don’t believe another party could have failed her, look no further than the failure of Nova Scotia’s current Liberal government — particular the Attorney General. In his decision in May, Judge Jamie Campbell, said the Attorney General could issue a pronouncement saying the province would not prosecute any media who violated the ban. Instead, Lena Metlege Diab, the Liberal Attorney General, has remained silent on the issue and deferred to a bureaucrat, Martin Herschorn, who has said there will be no such pronouncement. In fairness to Herschorn, he did spell out what the Crown would consider before laying charges, but it is still a roll of the dice for any media outlet to break the ban. It should not be, and her name needs to be kept alive in the important discussions about sexual consent, cyber-bullying and suicide.

  5. Nasty Bob says:

    Fri – I think there’s a publication ban on her name

  6. Patrice Boivin says:

    someone was charged yesterday for publishing her name on Facebook

    https://apps.halifax.ca/news/article/2299

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