The Times Advocate, 2008-07-16, Page 44
Times–Advocate
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
OC
Editorial Opinion
TIMES ADVOCATE
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Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division
EDITORIAL
Seeking to correct a
miscarriage of justice
In this part of the country, Steven Truscott is
more than a name in the news. Even if we are
too young to remember the events that unfold-
ed almost 50 years ago, we view Truscott as one
of us. The towns and cities in the news stories
are familiar to us.
There are many people who do remember the horror
that rippled through this area 50 years ago when a 12 -
year -old girl was raped and murdered, and Truscott,
only 14, was arrested and charged with the crime.
The year was 1959 when the whole family would sit
and watch the big game or the Ed Sullivan Show on tele-
vision. Children — and 12 and 14 -year-olds were chil-
dren then, not adolescent consumers — were expected
to be home at a decent hour. They rode their bikes, went
fishing, did errands for their moms. They did not get
raped and murdered. They did not get accused of killing
a schoolmate.
Police work was different then, too. Thanks to televi-
sion shows like CSI, the average 2008 suburbanite has
acquired an easy familiarity with forensic material that
would have seemed like sorcery to a crime scene investi-
gator only a couple of generations ago. In 1959, there
were no files with DNA samples of known sex offenders,
no computers, not even a reliable way to share informa-
tion among police agencies.
Many officers were war veterans, decent men who
strived to keep the peace in their small towns. They had
little to prepare them for a murder investigation, espe-
cially one conducted in the glare of intense media atten-
tion and public pressure. Public pressure was at least
partly responsible for the fact the police and courts
focused on any information that pointed at Truscott,
while substantial evidence pointing in other directions
was ignored. While the real killer went free, a boy was
sentenced to death on shaky, circumstantial evidence.
Fast forward to the new millennium.
We know police have made errors over the years, and
so have courts. We have seen wrongfully convicted peo-
ple freed, sometimes after many years in prison.
Truscott is not the first to be exonerated by modern
courts and he will not be the last to be compensated by
the government for the years he wrongfully spent in
prison. The fact the man somehow managed to become
a fine, upstanding citizen with a good job, happy mar-
riage and nice family in no way negates the injustice he
suffered.
The ironic thing is that a 14 -year-old found guilty of a
similar crime today would serve only a couple of years in
a youth facility, and would be able to use his own name
once he served his time because his identity would be
protected. Only 50 years ago, Truscott came within a
month of being executed for a crime he did not commit,
spent over 10 years in prison, and has had to live most of
his adult life under an assumed name.
We pray our legislators look long and carefully before
they make any decisions.
Distributed by CanadianArtists Syndicate
A little relaxation goes a long way
It was nice to be left alone, in charge
and able to do whatever my little heart
desired for two weeks at my parent's
place.
Yes, the house to myself, free to do
whatever I wanted.
They've left their house to me several
times over the years, and more
recently now that they've bought a
cottage on Manitoulin Island. And
every time they leave, with all of
our dogs in tow — I get super
excited.
"Have fun," I say, "I know I will,"
I mutter under my breath.
In recent years I've always had
parties, and more parties. Isn't that
what you're supposed to do when
Ma and Pa aren't home? I'm sure
I've read that somewhere.
This year however, maybe it's because
I'm getting old (I just turned 24 yesterday)
or maybe it's because most of my wild
child party friends have moved, but this
year I made that executive decision not to
trash the house, the property and any-
thing else in my way of fun.
Instead I took a few days to relax, some-
thing I desperately needed.
Of course my idea of relaxing is proba-
bly quite different then the average per-
son.
First I cranked the tunes, you can't
relax without a little Zeppelin, and I beat
my drums and finally I played paintball,
by myself, in the backyard.
Actually shortly after I finished
shooting everything in sight (no
animals of course), my mother
phoned.
"How's it going," she asks, (must
be her mother instincts) and I
reply, "Well, I did some painting... I
hope you like purple and yellow."
At least the two colours compli-
ment each other.
So after I get finished annoying
the neighbours with my tunes, my drums
and my paintball gun, I felt a lot better
about things. I had finally relaxed in my
most favourite ways.
The only thing to top off the day would
have been a good rock concert.
Yes, a little relaxation goes a long way.
NINA
VAN
LIESHOUT
KICK THIS
AROUND
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