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Due to a technical error on my part, all the text that was originally on this page is now lost. As these pages are more like journals, and I hadn't yet had a chance to back them up, the parts of my story that were lost will have to be made up for in future entries. I have taken my step-father to court for sexual assault. Several of my entries have, and will make reference to this new and sometimes frightenning experience. I apologize for any inconvenience the loss of the original text may have caused. -March 24th, 2001 |
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Well, I have learned that a new date has been set. It seems that a preliminary hearing has been set for June 5th. Then, there might be a pre-trial, and then a trial, all depending upon the evidence and whether or not he choses to plead guilty at any point in time. I've been subpoenaed, (try to spell THAT without the paper in front of you!) and so has my mother. It seems that I had mistaken what the arresting officer had told me. I had understood that because my deposition was video taped, that there would be a good chance that I would not be called to testify in court, unless his lawyer chose to cross examine me. It turns out that unless he chooses to plead guilty before the court date, or when the proceedings begin, that Canadian law dictates that an accuser must face the accused in a court of law. In the end the difference does not change much, but it would have been nice to prepare myself for the inevitabe as opposed to the possibility. It's been six months now since I've started all this. More than six months, actually. I was still pregnant and had not wished to start things too soon, as I had wanted a chance to recover. I had also made the choice to breast feed, and did not want to have to be trying to learn how to be doing this in court. Especially with that man sitting in the same room. The police sargeant (I think that's what he was,) had assured me that nothing at all would be happenning until at least January. Being reassured by this, I made an appointment to speak with the police. The officer was very friendly. She was dressed proffessionally, but in street clothes, and invited me to call her by her first name. We sat in a small room, with a comfortable arm chair and love-seat. I couldn't help but notice that these were also in calming colours. I am willing to bet that all these things are designed specifically to help set the victim at ease. It is very nice to know that at least some things are changing. Imagine my shock when I recieved a phone call from the Constable, informing me that they had made an arrest and had formally charged him. The first date in court was to be Sept.27th. This was my DUE DATE! I was assured that I wouldn't have to show up in court for some time. Thank God. My initial reaction wasn't what I had expected it to be. I mean... I had thought this through for over two years after all! But instead of feeling triumphant, my first thought was "Oh my God! What have I done!" I can only imagine how I would have felt had I not prepared myself! I told myself to take a breath, and to think about it for a minute. I had to remember that this is not something that I had done on the spur of the moment, but had taken two years to think about. I had to remind myself that I had a lot of counseling behind me, and that I had the tools and support system to deal with this. I reminded myself that this was not a rash decision, but rather something that I needed to do. It didn't take long before I was ok with it. Sept. 27th came and went, then Dec. 6th, and in both cases, it took at least two weeks for me to realize that the date had come and gone. Come Feb. 14th, however, I was well aware of the court date, and wasted no time chasing down the police officer to find out the results. The date had been held over until the 28th of February. Now you are somewhat caught up to date. I find it somewhat frustrating that I have to chase people down to learn anything. I have not spoken with the crown attorney, and it is six months into the whole thing. |
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