Prosecuting the Victim

So, episode 121 - a new record. But you know that right? Because you subscribe to the show and have already rated and reviewed the podcast - right? You should. I have never been so mad. So mad that I might have forgot to turn on the mic, so apologies if the recording quality is a bit meh. Why so mad? An Ontario woman, who was the victim of a sexual assault, was arrested and prosecuted for violating a court order publication ban designed to protect her. Her crime? She emailed a copy of the court decision to a few friends and family members. Now she is a victim with a criminal record. In March, as first reported by Gordon Paul of the Waterloo Region Record and then later amplified by the Toronto Star, the woman pleaded guilty to violating a court order and was ordered by a judge to pay a fine of $2,000 plus an additional $600 victim surcharge. It is inexcusable that the woman’s lawyer plead her guilty and agreed to the imposition for a criminal record. It is disgusting that the Crown prosecuted her and asked for the imposition of a record. It is shocking that the police actually arrested her. It is all so so so bad. This is what made us so mad. So buckle up, this is going to be a bumpy ride…. Remember, you can self-isolate in The Docket’s Discord chatroom. Join the Discord channel, take part in the ongoing chat, and listen to live recordings with this link: https://discord.gg/2TzUamZ A huge thanks to Emond Publishing for supporting the podcast. For our listeners, Emond is offering 10% off titles in the series. Just visit emond.ca/docket and enter code docket10 at checkout. And as always, a huge thanks to my firm Abergel Goldstein & Partners who have not murdered me for editing the podcast at work!