Col. Williams sentencing and lurid evidence

"Williams will be sentenced later this week to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years."

So ends the National Post story on the sentencing of Col. Williams.

For reasons that aren't clear the Crown is introducing extraordinarily detailed evidence, including photographs, of the crimes Williams pleaded guilty to. Today or tomorrow the Crown is said to plan to play a video of one of William's murders.
Why?

At a trial where guilt is disputed, everything must come out. So in the Bernardo case, where Bernard pleaded not guilty, the awful videotapes were necessary.

But here guilt is established and even the sentence is fixed.

The judge has to be given enough to justify the guilty plea. Some evidence of the offences needs to be adduced. But that is a very limited requirement -- the Crown here is adducing evidence for some other purpose.

It's not clear what that purpose is -- perhaps a desire to show the community what happened and to ensure no one doubts the crimes of Col. Williams? Perhaps a desire to show the entire Province that justice is done no matter how prominent the criminal? That's speculation -- what is sure is the videotape of murder need not be played.

And the dignity of the victim, already brutally violated, says the videotape ought not be played.