Cornwall Standard Freeholder
Letters to the Editor
29 May 2010
Staff Sgt. Gary Derochie, representing the prosecution side;
Sgt. George Levere, representing Emma’s defence;
Insp. Dan O’Reilly, acting as judge.
Also present, Emma Wilson King, a court reporter, a reporter from the Standard-Freeholder, myself and a friend of mine. Eight people in total in rooms that could easily sit 50 to 60 people.
As I said, the meeting was called to order at 10 a.m., those present for the hearing introduced themselves and the facts of the incident were put on record. The next issue was speaking to the penalty to be imposed (three-month demotion). Insp. O’Reilly called recess at 10:05 a.m., saying that he would be back with his ruling at 11 a.m. The hearing resumed at 11a.m. with O’Reilly calling order and that he made his ruling. He stated that he agreed with the recommendation of the demotion and the hearing was over at 11:01 a.m., everyone shook hands and that was it. Six minutes, if that, and it was all over. Derochie, Levere and Wilson King walked out together heading back to the office. I stood there dumbfounded and disgusted. As I sat in the hearing room I could not help but think of Perry Dunlop and the hell that he was put through by the same “prosecutor”. Emma Wilson King was “tortured” for six whole minutes, to only lose $4,500. Perry was prosecuted for six whole years, and thrown in jail for seven months, along the way losing his job, his future, his home and driven out of his hometown.
I am only left guessing that this is the CPS’s attempt at “transparency”, fallout from the Cornwall Public Inquiry.
I have spoken to some of those that I know and we all agree that police have to be held to a higher standard than the general public. Although we all know that drinking and driving is against the law, the police are the ones that witness the devastation, lecture in schools and charge those in R.I.D.E. programs with drinking and driving. When the police go to court with those charges they expect the Crowns and judges to take them seriously with those charges. Why should we not expect the same?
John MacDonald, Cornwall