Close X
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
ADVT 
National

Dog Soothes 10-Year-Old Girl At Sex-Assault Trial; Sets New Course For B.C.'s Courts

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 May, 2015 11:48 AM
    VANCOUVER — A police dog has helped a 10-year-old girl endure the pain of testifying about an alleged sexual assault, and in doing so has become the first canine to assist a child during a trial in British Columbia.
     
    Caber, a yellow Labrador retriever, rested peacefully in a bed and at the girl's feet, as she spoke in the witness box, while shielded by a screen in Surrey provincial court Tuesday. 
     
    The dog soothed the girl so she could provide a full and candid account of the horrific incident that allegedly victimized her the previous year, said Crown lawyer Winston Sayson.
     
    "When the child was testifying, she would reach down to just pet or rub the dog. When she broke down during the testimony, we had to stand down," said Sayson.
     
    "She basically lay down beside the dog. They laid down together and it really helped her calm down and she was able to return to court and complete her testimony."
     
    Crown and a victims' support worker said the successful integration of a dog in the courtroom should be viewed as baby steps towards expanded use of canines at trial.
     
    Among the six dogs believed to be accredited to assist victims in Canada, a canine named Hawk supported a victim in Calgary in December 2014, and another dog was permitted in an Edmonton courtroom in March.
     
    The Criminal Code includes provisions allowing special accommodation for vulnerable witnesses — usually children.
     
    A judge ruled Caber could attend the trial to supplement a support worker who is permitted to accompany any witness under age 18. The defence lawyer took no position on the matter, Sayson said.
     
    The dog was not present to help make the Crown's case but simply aid the witness to give evidence, added Sayson.
     
    He said the girl testified for about 90 minutes but declined to provide further details for her protection.
     
    Kim Gramlich, Caber's handler and the victim services co-ordinator for the Delta Police Department, said the dog seemed to ground and focus the girl when she was upset.
     
    "Dogs provide unconditional support," she said. "They don't care about the colour of your skin, how much money you make, what you look like. They don't care about any of that. They just provide affection."
     
    She said research shows a dog's presence can help lower blood pressure.
     
    Gramlich said she got the idea from the United States where more than 70 dogs do similar work.
     
    The Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, which trained Caber for two years, provided the animal at no cost to the Crown as part of its mandate.
     
    Winston said the door has opened for the Crown to provide more options for victims of crime but stressed only accredited dogs will be welcome.
     
    "We do not want everybody coming with their pet parakeet or pet boa constrictor," he said. "There has to be some dignity in the courtroom."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Thieves Drill Through Concrete To Access Up To $100,000 In Computers In Kamloops Store

    Thieves Drill Through Concrete To Access Up To $100,000 In Computers In Kamloops Store
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Police in are investigating a heist at a computer store in Kamloops, B.C., that could have been scripted straight from a Hollywood movie.

    Thieves Drill Through Concrete To Access Up To $100,000 In Computers In Kamloops Store

    Four Members Of Royal Navy Due In Nova Scotia Court Facing Sex Charges

    Four Members Of Royal Navy Due In Nova Scotia Court Facing Sex Charges
    The Crown says the men are alleged to have participated in a "group sexual assault'' in a barracks at  Canadian Forces base Shearwater on April 10.

    Four Members Of Royal Navy Due In Nova Scotia Court Facing Sex Charges

    Kingston, Ontario, Girl Receives Liver Transplant Two Months After Twin

    Kingston, Ontario, Girl Receives Liver Transplant Two Months After Twin
    TORONTO — A three-year-old girl from Kingston, Ont., has received a liver transplant two months after her twin sister underwent the same surgery to combat a potentially fatal genetic disorder.

    Kingston, Ontario, Girl Receives Liver Transplant Two Months After Twin

    2 Montreal Teens Charged Over Suspected Terrorist Activities Now Face Four Charges

    2 Montreal Teens Charged Over Suspected Terrorist Activities Now Face Four Charges
    MONTREAL — A young man and woman arrested in Quebec last week are each facing four terrorism-related charges.El Mahdi Jamali and Sabrine Djermane appeared briefly in a Montreal courtroom today as teary-eyed relatives looked on.

    2 Montreal Teens Charged Over Suspected Terrorist Activities Now Face Four Charges

    Budget To Update Little-known Marker: The Timing Of Canada's $2-trillion Economy

    OTTAWA — Buried beneath the spending promises, fiscal forecasts and political posturing in Tuesday's budget will be the latest read on a little-known yet rapidly approaching milestone: the timing of Canada's $2-trillion economy.

    Budget To Update Little-known Marker: The Timing Of Canada's $2-trillion Economy

    Mark Saunders Named Toronto's Top Cop; First Black To Lead The Force

    Mark Saunders Named Toronto's Top Cop; First Black To Lead The Force
    TORONTO — A married father of four was named the city's chief of police Monday — the first black officer to lead the $1-billion force — after an international search that led right back to headquarters.

    Mark Saunders Named Toronto's Top Cop; First Black To Lead The Force