Boyle McCauley News

Since 1979 • April-May 2024 • Circulation 5000

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Truth and Consequence

Sitting in a courtroom listening to an assault trial is hard on the heart and mind. Five young women had reported assaults by the same assailant to police in late 2011 and early 2012. They testified at a preliminary hearing in 2013 and were called again for the trial set in early October, 2014. Knowing some of their life circumstances deepened my anguish as the defence lawyer used every tool in his power to discredit these victims. Knowing that these assaults happened in McCauley and Riverdale made me feel sick. This is my wonderful neighbourhood community, yet some of these terrible incidents happened a few blocks from my home, when I was safely asleep.

A young man, now 33, was charged and opted for trial before judge and jury. On October 9, the jury found him guilty of assault causing bodily harm (choking) and dangerous driving. In his pursuit of one young woman, he crashed into a fence as she ran for help to the closest house. Against all odds, I know the people who live in that house in Riverdale near Dawson Park. They are kind, compassionate people and I was glad that the young woman found some comfort there.

All the young women were picked up on 95 Street, around 110 Avenue. The women were totally honest. They went with the man because they were hungry for money to buy drugs. They agreed to a sex act for money. Their addictions stem from traumas in childhood coupled with the violence they encounter when sexually exploited. Drugs are one way to numb the pain. One of the women has a confirmed diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). For some with an FASD diagnosis, impulse control, making sound judgements, and learning from past consequences are very challenging.

Kate Quinn is the Executive Director of the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE).

One young woman recounted how she was taken near the Atonement Home on 92 Street. After the choking assault, she had to walk back to her home in McCauley with this man driving around her and taunting her. She was extremely afraid. Police data shows that only eight percent of sexual assaults are actually reported. That these five vulnerable women dared to report speaks volumes. That they trusted the police, crown prosecutor, and victim advocates, speaks to their courage and desire to tell the truth of what this man did to them.

The guilty conviction shows that 12 jury members believed them.

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