There is no reason to play the tape. He confessed and pleaded guilty. Any relevance to sentencing can be dealt with without playing the tape. The dignity of the deceased should trump; with the guilty plea the tape is simply irrelevant. Bernardo was different -- he pleaded not guilty so the video mattered.
Joanna Smith, Jim Rankin and Dan Robson
Staff Reporters
BELLEVILLE—Col. Russell Williams didn't just take thousands of pornographic pictures during his 82 break-ins — he videotaped the actual murder of at least one of his victims.
The Crown confirmed in court Monday that both murder victims, Marie-France Comeau, 38, and Jessica Lloyd, 27, were videotaped by Williams.
In Comeau's case, her actual murder is on tape.
What is not clear is how the court will handle this when the videotapes are presented as evidence, likely on Tuesday.
In the case of schoolgirl killer Paul Bernardo, convicted in 1995, Justice Patrick LeSage ruled videotaped evidence of teen victims being attacked and tortured would be heard by the public, but not seen.
They were later destroyed, and transcripts of the tapes kept in the file.
The murders of Comeau and Lloyd followed break-ins in the small community of Tweed, in Belleville and in Ottawa over 26 months.
The Crown is presenting the evidence against Williams chronologically: the break and enters that started three years ago, the sexual assaults 13 months ago, the murders 11 and 10 months ago.
Through the afternoon, the Crown steadily flashed up increasingly grotesque images taken by Williams to show the "escalation of aggression" of the break-ins, leading up to first sexual assault against Jane Doe
4 comments:
I agree, I agree. And thank you for writing this, especially as you are a lawyer. Just looked at TorStar, & the image of Williams front and centre, ahhh. Is that even necessary?
Very disturbing. I hope the media doesn't exceed prostituting itself to get our readership. Then, it already has.
D.S.
This can't be kept a state secret. The public has a right to know and has found was of accommodating this in the past. There's little doubt they'll do the same here.
... and > the Court < ... has found
Hiding evidence in court is wrong. As for the dignity of the victim, how about we ask this question: This man not only admits to raping and killing he has provided incontrovertible evidence of his acts. There can be no doubt he did it. Is this not the poster child for the death penalty? Maybe seeing the film will remind people that there is an alternative to concurrent sentences and a 25 year "life" sentence. Perhaps the dignity of the victim would be better served if we don't have to hear from this guy at faint-hope hearings, or parole hearings, or letters to the PM ala Clifford Olson. Maybe the dignity of the victim would be better served by worrying about justice in this case instead of some ridiculous hope for rehabilitation. Maybe shocking the public is needed once in a while.
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