Posted on 11/16/2004 8:13:55 PM PST by Clive
Regina -- The Saskatchewan government has settled with the couple at the centre of an infamous case of wrongful sex-abuse charges.
Justice Minister Frank Quennell announced Monday that the province will pay $925,000 to Ron and Linda Sterling and to a person who was a youth at the time the charges were laid in 1992.
At the time, the Sterlings operated a home day care in Martensville, north of Saskatoon. They were among nine people charged with 180 sex-related offences against children in their care. Only one of the accused was ever found guilty.
The children's bizarre stories of murder, animal mutilation and Satanism were eventually proved to be lies and the methods of police and prosecutors came under heavy criticism.
It was later determined that investigators had elicited the allegations by asking the children leading questions and prosecutors had gone ahead with charges despite police misgivings about the veracity of the claims.
"Sexual abuse is one of the most sensitive and difficult issues dealt with by our criminal justice system," Mr. Quennell said Monday in a prepared statement. "The difficulties are further complicated when the victims are children."
It has now been recognized that child victims and witnesses cannot be treated the same as adults, he said.
The Sterlings decided to sue for compensation after the province paid former police officer John Popowich $1.3-million to settle his malicious prosecution lawsuit last June. Three lawsuits related to the Martensville case have yet to be settled.
From "Hide! Hide! Witch!", by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides, Astounding Science Fiction, December 1953
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/kidding
Sounds like the McMartin Preschool case in Manhattan Beach, CA back in early '80s. Lasted six years and cost the state $15 million.
Yes, among a whole rash of similar cases including the Bakersfield Witch Hunt in California and the Prescott Nightmare in Ontario and the Nottingham case in the UK.
Janet Reno made her reputation by the same type of prosecutions. As I recall, she laid so many bogus charges that she had something to the effect of a 3% prosecution rate based on original charges.
But the problem is, when there is official misconduct, the public suffers. Then, if they sue and win, the public suffers (by paying the judgment). The individuals involved should be held PERSONALLY liable, and should be at risk of criminal prosecution and being locked in prison with those whom they convicted, if they abuse their position or fail to act in good faith. After all, why should the victims pay?
And what a reputation it was.
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