Close X
Thursday, January 9, 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

    Inquest Into Fatal Mill Blast Makes 33 Recommendations, Finds Deaths Accidental

    Inquest Into Fatal Mill Blast Makes 33 Recommendations, Finds Deaths Accidental
    A five-person jury made the recommendations after eight hours of deliberations on Thursday but ultimately concluded that the fatal 2012 blast at Lakeland Mills in Prince George, B.C., was accidental.

    Inquest Into Fatal Mill Blast Makes 33 Recommendations, Finds Deaths Accidental

    Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre Won't Apologize For Taxpayers' Dollars Spent On 'Vanity Videos'

    Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre Won't Apologize For Taxpayers' Dollars Spent On 'Vanity Videos'
    Poilievre is making no apologies for using taxpayer dollars to produce videos of himself promoting the universal child care benefit.

    Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre Won't Apologize For Taxpayers' Dollars Spent On 'Vanity Videos'

    Stephen Harper Touts Government's Economic Record In Campaign-Style Speech

    With a large Canadian flag as a backdrop, Harper told a packed high school gym in Truro, N.S., that the Conservatives are confident heading into this fall's election.

    Stephen Harper Touts Government's Economic Record In Campaign-Style Speech

    Rob Ford Speaks To Supporters At Fundraiser From Hospital Bed

    Rob Ford Speaks To Supporters At Fundraiser From Hospital Bed
    The former Toronto mayor also thanked those who attended a fundraiser Thursday night, as his brother Doug played the call from his cellphone.

    Rob Ford Speaks To Supporters At Fundraiser From Hospital Bed

    Harper Confident In RCMP Response To Fatal Shootings Last Year In Moncton, N.B.

    Harper Confident In RCMP Response To Fatal Shootings Last Year In Moncton, N.B.
    Harper wouldn't comment on the allegations Friday because they are part of a legal process, but said he was briefed by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson on what happened last June 4 in Moncton, N.B.

    Harper Confident In RCMP Response To Fatal Shootings Last Year In Moncton, N.B.

    Canada Sets New Target To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    Canada Sets New Target To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq (ah-GLOO'-kah) says the target is fair and ambitious and reflects Canada's growing economy.

    Canada Sets New Target To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions