Thu, June 9, 2005
An Ottawa cop, accused of molesting his stepdaughters and another girl, felt "100 tons lifted from (his) shoulders" after being completely vindicated by the trial judge.
"I believe the accused," Justice Robert Desmarais said yesterday as he found the 49-year-old father of two not guilty of eight charges, which included sexual interference, sexual assault and administering a noxious substance. "Even if I did not I would be left with a reasonable doubt."
Desmarais found the cop's stepdaughters hated him for being a disciplinarian and conspired to falsely accuse him of sexual assault. He said an e-mail sent by one stepdaughter to the officer's biological daughter saying "we're charging your dad" a few months prior to their February 2003 complaint to police "completely destroyed their credibility."
Even without the e-mail, Desmarais said there was ample reason to discount their evidence.
The younger stepdaughter admitted she lied to police concerning aspects of one alleged sexual assault supposedly facilitated by the administration of sleeping pills. Desmarais said the lie tainted all of her other evidence.
Coupled with evidence about her drug use and her penchant for lying to cover her own bad behaviour, her testimony was shot.
GROPING ALLEGATIONS
Desmarais also ruled her older sister's allegations of groping during play fights and while she was asleep did not happen. Accusations by a third girl, who was a former daycare client of the accused man's wife, were found by Desmarais to clash too much with other evidence.
The girl claimed to have been sexually assaulted every other afternoon inside a closed computer room for 20-40 minutes. The girl's assertion no one ever noticed she was missing or saw her leave the computer room just didn't add up for Desmarais.
The acquittal left the man and his family with tears of joy, contrasting the tears on the other side of the courtroom where the stepdaughters, their father and friends were sitting.
"I had faith in the system," the officer said later as he sat with his wife, who is also the mother of two of his accusers.
After a two-year suspension with pay, the 25-year veteran is looking forward to getting back on the job once his Police Act charges are dealt with.
While some had criticized his wife's decision to stand by him, she said she didn't want to set a bad example.
"That would just reinforce it's okay to lie and ruin someone's life," she said.
sean.mckibbon@ott.sunpub.com
Source
Ottawa Men's Centre 613-797-3237 (797-DADS)