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Times Advocate, 1999-12-15, Page 6Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday,Deceinber 15, 1999 sias4 Editorial&Opinion TIMES-AI)VOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith General Manager Production Manager Deb Lord Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Victim's rights deserve better protection Two weeks ago, an attempt to overturn the so-called Rape Shield Law failed. This law means certain information is off limits to defence lawyers, for example, psychiatric records of the alleged victim. The Rape Shield Law is challenged from time to time by defence lawyers who argue they should be allowed to do whatever they can to discredit the person making the accusation. In the most recent challenge, the defence lawyer claimed the records were necessary to prove the victim, a young teenager, was lying. The court decided opening up a victim's medical and psychi- atric records to public scrutiny is wrong. That courts even considered allowing an accused rapist access to information about the suffering of the victim is horrifying. It becomes even more so when one considers the ample statistical evidence that exists indicating a high percentage of rape vic- tims do not report the crime, whereas false accusa- tions of rape are rare. No one ever argues about the right of the accused to a fair trial, to be "innocent until proved guilty". What about the victim's right to fair treat- ment and protection? There was an even more disturbing case before the courts in Kitchenerlast week. The jury had to consider the fate of an accused murderer, without having access to a remarkable amount of informa- tion. The 18 -year-old victim was cut on the neck,, physically and perhaps sexually assaulted, and finally asphyxiated. Her accused killer had threat- ened another teenager with a knife two weeks before the 1992 murder, had unsuccessfully solicit- ed three other girls for sex the day of the murder, and had once been accused of raping a 14 -year-old, but the jury knew none of this. Why not? Because a judge decided the information was not relevant. What is not relevant about a girl who was threat- ened with a knife while the accused attempted to persuade her to have sex with him? He reportedly drew the knife lightly down her face and neck with- out cutting her. Two weeks later, another teenager suffered non life threatening cuts in an almost iden- tical scenario, except this girl died. According to an article in The Record, the judge concluded the first girl's testimony was unreliable, because she was a former prostitute. And he saw no similarities at all in the two attacks. In the first, the victim fought back, and he let her go. In the second case, the victim was killed. The average Joe on the street would likely read this as an indi- cation the guy learned from his "error" the first time round, and did not let the second one get away. He had been turned down by three other girls the day of the murder, and was no doubt extremely determined to get what he wanted, and probablymore than a little angry and frustrated. But the judge saw no relevance. A few months ago, a judge did not allow another jury similar information about an accused killer's past; the jury came up with a conviction anyway. Justice was served that time, and likely will be again, no thanks to judges who are clearly more afraid of a wrongful guilty verdict than they are of a wrongful verdict of not guilty. In a way, it is understandable, given some enor- mous financial settlements made to people who were convicted and later found to be innocent At the same time, there have been too many murders and other crimes committed by people who should have been in jail. Where are the finan- cial settlements to the victims, and families of vic- tims? It is time for some balance. YouR FAThER'S BEEN IN SUCH A GooD MOOD SINCE IIE HEARD OFrAWA MAY LO 1}IE SENgrnRS, I HATE WTELL NIM IT'S ONLY HOCKEY 1'E1%i.s -Pony-tail brigade keeping their locks Get a haircut. When people are looking for something to tease me about and draw a blank, they can always fall back on the tried and true hair joke. It just so happens I am a man who chooses to have long hair in a pony -tail. Case in point: last week's T -A featured a duo of long- haired lads who got their hair shaved off as a fund- raiser for the Huron United Way. The pair, along with a colleague from Nabisco, raised $1,400 for the chari- ty. That's great. I commend them. Just don't expect me, or my partner in the 'pony -tail brigade', reporter Scott Nixon, to follow suit unless it will guarantee world peace or the end to world-wide hunger. Simply take our money please. (FYI: the pony -tail brigade phrase was coined by fellow staffer Barb Robertson, clever girl.) You see, we like our hair just the way it is. Long. For me, it's the last vestige of my fastly escaping youth and my rebellious nature. I've had long hair since I was 18 and in various styles. I've had it curly and worn out, wavy and down, straight and down and the current style, straight and in a pony -tail. I've taken guff about my hair from old men, young women that only date short -haired men, my parents. grandparents, the neighbourhood comic, co-workers and strangers I've just met. When I was in my late teens and early 20s police offi- cers gave me the evil eye and even pulled me over in my car simply because I had the stereotypical bad guy long hair. Friends have joked they would shave me bald while I'm sleeping or put Nair in my shampoo bottle. Some people in high school started a rumour that I dye my hair blond using peroxide, stating they actually saw me in the drug store buying the stuff. (My hair colour is au natural.) Not only do Scott and I choose to wear our hair long, we're simply too lazy to style it or get it cut. We also don't want to pay someone $10+ to keep it short every other week. Plus we look cool and our girlfriends love it. I. am going to get my hair trimmed for the holidays to look my best. That's as far as it goes. And for those people who persist on bugging us about our hair — try to be a little more original. Us loon hairs don't comment on how gaudy that tie you insist on wearing at least twice a week is (men) or that your hair is a different colour each time we see you (women). So what if we're throwbacks• to the days of Woodstock, love the one you're with and give peace a chance. Those were the days... CRAIG mou s MUSINGS BRADFORD AND a About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850. Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday. 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. ContactU$ By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales ....(519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $35+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $63+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $102 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Chissified Rates Word ads: $9.00 for 20 words, 154 for each additional wcrd+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $11.00 + GST for up to 30 words, All ads must be pre -paid. The classified ad deadline is Monday at 10 a.m. Display Advertising To place a display ad. 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