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Post by Sher on May 20, 2005 10:18:39 GMT -5
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. -- A woman charged with murdering her longtime lover in an angry confrontation was convicted yesterday of manslaughter.
Theresa Layne Senner was found guilty of the lesser charge by a B.C. Supreme Court jury after two days of deliberations following a month-long trial.
Senner stabbed Norman Craig Wicks in the groin in his Vanderhoof, B.C., home in 2002 after learning he had no plans to leave his wife for her and that he was having simultaneous affairs with two other women.
SOBBING SONS
Senner, 43, remained stoic in the prisoner's box as the foreman announced the verdict. Her two adult sons sobbed inconsolably beside their stepfather, Guy Raymond, who was also visibly shaken.
She had been charged with second-degree murder, but the six-man, six-woman jury decided Senner's actions fit the criteria for manslaughter - culpable homicide committed in the heat of passion or sudden provocation.
Justice Glen Parrett scheduled a hearing today to fix a date for sentencing. The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.
Senner remains free on bail.
Wicks, 50, was the principal of two Vanderhoof, B.C., elementary schools. Senner was a clerk in the human resources department of the Vanderhoof school district in north-central British Columbia.
In her testimony, Senner said Wicks was stabbed after he grabbed her hand while she was holding a large kitchen knife during the Nov. 20, 2002, tussle.
Senner, who testified clutching a Bible for much of the time, claimed she grabbed the knife because she was afraid it would fall off the counter and hurt one of them.
Wicks was found dead of blood loss from a single deep stab wound in the groin.
Senner said she had found numerous e-mails on Wick's computer detailing a sexual relationship between Wicks and Senner's colleague Cheryl Pershall.
Wicks confided personal information to Pershall about Senner and other e-mails also disclosed another relationship between Wicks and a woman whom Senner didn't know.
Neither side contested the general circumstances of Wicks's death. Both agree Senner's hand was on the knife when Wicks received the fatal wound.
"She's not a perfect angel in this. He's not a perfect angel," said defence lawyer Bruce Kaun.
The jury began deliberating on Tuesday after Parrett outlined three possible verdicts for Senner: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter, and not guilty.
In his final argument, Kaun said there was no evidence of violence from Wicks and Senner did not fear he would harm her. The trouble began, he said, when he tried to stop her from leaving his house.
"When she picks that knife up so as to prevent anyone being hurt," he said. "It is as he reaches to grab her hand, then he stumbles back and says, 'You've stabbed me,' which she initially thinks is ridiculous."
"Not one person in the world knew what Norman Wicks said to her when that struggle took place," Kaun said. "She told you that he said, 'You stabbed me.' That is a person telling you the whole truth. You should acquit."
Prosecutor James Swales told the jury he didn't think Senner deliberately lied about what happened.
HONEST BELIEF
"The Crown's theory, rather, is she has come to a point where she honestly believes - because she has to for her own self-esteem or emotional survival - that she did not pick up that knife in a fit of anger," he said.
"You have her explanation that I suggest to you is so implausible it cannot be true."
Swales recalled evidence of Senner's angry sense of betrayal when she learned Wicks would not dump his common-law wife to marry her and that he was also having an affair with the third woman.
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Post by Sher on Jun 2, 2005 1:36:54 GMT -5
Donald Bakker, the first person to potentially face a trial under Canada's new sex tourism law, has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault.
Three of the pleas involved attacks on women in British Columbia, the rest involved children in Asian countries. Bakker, 40, a former employee of Vancouver Pan Pacific Hotel, was originally charged with 22 counts of assault involving adult prostitutes and 16 counts related to children in a foreign country.
He avoided a trial by entering the pleas.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference with children under the age of 14 in southeast Asia, and three counts of sexual assault involving three B.C. prostitutes.
His lawyer, Kevin McCullough, and the Crown prosecutor have jointly asked for a 10-year prison sentence.
Bakker has already served 18 months in jail, which would count as double time, meaning he would have seven more years in prison if the judge accepts the request.
The sentencing hearing will take place on Thursday.
Bakker, who shook during his court appearance, is upset over his actions, said McCullough.
Enacted in June 2002, the federal law allows Canada to prosecute sex offences committed by Canadians in a foreign country, regardless of that country's laws.
The laws are aimed at stopping Canadians from taking part in overseas sex trips, many of which involve having sex with children.
The group Beyond Borders pushed for the legislation. Spokesman David Butt believes "people who are sexually attracted to children, if they are acting out abroad, there's nothing to say they park their desires when they're not on holiday. They are a danger at home."
Bakker was arrested in a Vancouver waterfront park in December 2003 after police spotted a man with a prostitute police described as distraught. Officers said the man carried a sports bag containing a video camera and some tapes.
Police said those tapes and others showed assaults on foreign sex-trade workers and children.
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Post by Sher on Jun 2, 2005 1:37:45 GMT -5
Donald Bakker, the first person to potentially face a trial under Canada's new sex tourism law, has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. Three of the pleas involved attacks on women in British Columbia, the rest involved children in Asian countries. Bakker, 40, a former employee of Vancouver Pan Pacific Hotel, was originally charged with 22 counts of assault involving adult prostitutes and 16 counts related to children in a foreign country. He avoided a trial by entering the pleas. On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference with children under the age of 14 in southeast Asia, and three counts of sexual assault involving three B.C. prostitutes. His lawyer, Kevin McCullough, and the Crown prosecutor have jointly asked for a 10-year prison sentence. Bakker has already served 18 months in jail, which would count as double time, meaning he would have seven more years in prison if the judge accepts the request. The sentencing hearing will take place on Thursday. Bakker, who shook during his court appearance, is upset over his actions, said McCullough. Enacted in June 2002, the federal law allows Canada to prosecute sex offences committed by Canadians in a foreign country, regardless of that country's laws. The laws are aimed at stopping Canadians from taking part in overseas sex trips, many of which involve having sex with children. The group Beyond Borders pushed for the legislation. Spokesman David Butt believes "people who are sexually attracted to children, if they are acting out abroad, there's nothing to say they park their desires when they're not on holiday. They are a danger at home." Bakker was arrested in a Vancouver waterfront park in December 2003 after police spotted a man with a prostitute police described as distraught. Officers said the man carried a sports bag containing a video camera and some tapes. Police said those tapes and others showed assaults on foreign sex-trade workers and children. The first person to face criminal prosecution in Canada for sex crimes allegedly committed abroad has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. The first person to be charged under Canada's so-called sex-tourism law, Donald Bakker entered his plea in a Vancouver courtroom on Wednesday. Three of the guilty pleas involved attacks on adult prostitutes in British Columbia, with the other seven involving children in a foreign country. The foreign country where the crimes were allegedly committed, as well as the details of the alleged crimes, are subject to a publication ban. Bakker, a former employee of Vancouver's Pan Pacific Hotel, had been facing a total of 38 charges. The 40-year-old father of one was arrested in December, after a prostitute ran screaming from the bushes as Bakker followed with a bag containing a video camera and other equipment. According to Bakker's lawyer, Kevin McCullough, the allegations have been tough to deal with. "He's stunned by what he has done," McCullough told a provincial court judge on Wednesday. "He wishes to tell the court he will never be in court again." The case has been called precedent-setting, as it was the first chance for a court to test the section of the Criminal Code that was amended to allow for the prosecution of Canadians who sexually abuse children while overseas. Enacted in June 2002, the law gives the Crown authority to prosecute sex offences committed abroad, regardless of the foreign jurisdiction's own laws or attitudes. Canada is one of more than 60 countries worldwide with laws aimed at eradicating child-sex tourism. About half of those countries have laws that specifically target extraterritorial offences.
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Post by Sher on Jun 3, 2005 9:23:05 GMT -5
Donald Bakker, the first person to potentially face a trial under Canada's new sex tourism law, has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. Three of the pleas involved attacks on women in British Columbia, the rest involved children in Asian countries. Bakker, 40, a former employee of Vancouver Pan Pacific Hotel, was originally charged with 22 counts of assault involving adult prostitutes and 16 counts related to children in a foreign country. He avoided a trial by entering the pleas. On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference with children under the age of 14 in southeast Asia, and three counts of sexual assault involving three B.C. prostitutes. His lawyer, Kevin McCullough, and the Crown prosecutor have jointly asked for a 10-year prison sentence. Bakker has already served 18 months in jail, which would count as double time, meaning he would have seven more years in prison if the judge accepts the request. The sentencing hearing will take place on Thursday. Bakker, who shook during his court appearance, is upset over his actions, said McCullough. Enacted in June 2002, the federal law allows Canada to prosecute sex offences committed by Canadians in a foreign country, regardless of that country's laws. The laws are aimed at stopping Canadians from taking part in overseas sex trips, many of which involve having sex with children. The group Beyond Borders pushed for the legislation. Spokesman David Butt believes "people who are sexually attracted to children, if they are acting out abroad, there's nothing to say they park their desires when they're not on holiday. They are a danger at home." Bakker was arrested in a Vancouver waterfront park in December 2003 after police spotted a man with a prostitute police described as distraught. Officers said the man carried a sports bag containing a video camera and some tapes. Police said those tapes and others showed assaults on foreign sex-trade workers and children. The first person to face criminal prosecution in Canada for sex crimes allegedly committed abroad has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. The first person to be charged under Canada's so-called sex-tourism law, Donald Bakker entered his plea in a Vancouver courtroom on Wednesday. Three of the guilty pleas involved attacks on adult prostitutes in British Columbia, with the other seven involving children in a foreign country. The foreign country where the crimes were allegedly committed, as well as the details of the alleged crimes, are subject to a publication ban. Bakker, a former employee of Vancouver's Pan Pacific Hotel, had been facing a total of 38 charges. The 40-year-old father of one was arrested in December, after a prostitute ran screaming from the bushes as Bakker followed with a bag containing a video camera and other equipment. According to Bakker's lawyer, Kevin McCullough, the allegations have been tough to deal with. "He's stunned by what he has done," McCullough told a provincial court judge on Wednesday. "He wishes to tell the court he will never be in court again." The case has been called precedent-setting, as it was the first chance for a court to test the section of the Criminal Code that was amended to allow for the prosecution of Canadians who sexually abuse children while overseas. Enacted in June 2002, the law gives the Crown authority to prosecute sex offences committed abroad, regardless of the foreign jurisdiction's own laws or attitudes. Canada is one of more than 60 countries worldwide with laws aimed at eradicating child-sex tourism. About half of those countries have laws that specifically target extraterritorial offences. VANCOUVER -- A former hotel worker was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for a string of sex crimes he committed on prostitutes in Vancouver and on young girls in Cambodia. Donald Bakker, 41, became the first Canadian to be convicted under a federal law designed to combat child sex tourism when he pleaded guilty Wednesday. CHILDREN He admitted to one count of sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm involving three prostitutes in Vancouver. He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference with children under the age of 14 in Cambodia. "Right-thinking members of society must be outraged," said Judge Joseph Galati in sentencing Bakker, who videotaped his brutal sexual violence against three prostitutes and sexual exploitation of seven young girls. Bakker, a balding man in his early 40s, didn't face the judge in provincial court but sat looking in the opposite direction. Along with his 10-year sentence, Bakker must also provide a DNA sample, register with a sexual-offender registry and is prohibited from owning firearms for 10 years. Galati said that although the three prostitutes Bakker violated consented to the brutal sexual acts inflicted on them, they did not consent to bodily harm. He called sex-trade workers vulnerable members of society who must be protected. "From their demeanour they were willing to endure violence, humiliation and degradation to secure money for their next fix," Galati said of the videotaped offences. Bakker's actions deeply harmed the women, Galati said. "I watched the pain and shame that these women exhibited when they had to watch the tapes at the preliminary inquiry," Galati said. Bakker's guilty pleas mean they won't have to sit through that a second time at a trial. "The Vancouver complainants have been spared from having to testify again and more important, from my point of view, from having to watch the videotapes again," Galati said. In one instance, Bakker, who is married and has a child, tied the woman's hands behind her back while he placed metal clips on her genitals as she screamed for seven minutes. Instead of removing the clips, Bakker pulled on them and caused even more pain. For that, he paid the woman $20. WHIPPING In another assault, Bakker is seen whipping a woman's buttocks with an electrical cord, causing redness, broken skin and raised welts. The tapes also depicted three separate incidents of Bakker sexually assaulting girls between seven and 12 in Svay Pak, Cambodia. Before pleading guilty, Bakker was facing 22 charges involving adult prostitutes and 16 charges related to Asian children
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Post by Sher on Jun 25, 2005 13:54:00 GMT -5
VANCOUVER -- A man being sued for libel by motivational speaker Tony Robbins issued an apology and reached a settlement, ending his part in the case.
Lawyer David Sutherland, representing the defendant, John Charles Lynch, said that Lynch apologized for statements he made to the Vancouver Sun, which published them on June 7, 2001.
The Sun story said Lynch was upset that his estranged wife, Bonnie Lynch, was dating Robbins.
Bonnie Lynch married Robbins in October 2001 and now is known as Sage Robbins. The Lynches divorced in 2001 after a nine-year marriage.
"My marriage had problems before my wife even met Mr. Robbins," said John Lynch's apology. "I acknowledge that Mr. Robbins did not destroy my marriage."
Robbins, an internationally known self-help guru who lives in California, is suing a number of media including the Pacific Newspaper Group, which publishes the Vancouver Sun.
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