A12 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 1, 2000 Man on trial denies sex crimes ever happened By CHRISTIANA WIENS THE ALLEGED victims of a former Terrace resident and auxiliary RCMP officer accused of a series of violent sexual crimes here in the 1970s and 80s, made it all up, says the accused’s lawyer. Defence lawyer Darrell O'Byrne could not explain during the course of the 10-day trial that ended here Feb. 17 why his client’s accusers would conspire against him. But, he said, the timing of a series of phone calls between victims before they went to the Terrace RCMP in 1998 is suspicious. O'Byrne attacked the credibility of several complainants, saying they had “ealoured evidence to suit their pur- poses.” He said their evidence as presented by the Crown was an “amalgamation of memories”. If true, said O'Byrne, the complain- ants would have suffered under a “reign of terrar.” Because the complainants were young when the offences occurred, their memories were fragmented, he said. Witness testimony also contradict- ed itself, argued O'Byrne, and there is ~ covered by her then seven- no medical proof to substantiate any sexual assaults. The Crown argued some incansis- tencies were to be expected in 25- year-old memories. The evidence, the prosecutor said, was recalled in a non-vindictive way and was straight-forward and open. Moreover, he said, his witnesses would have no reason to lie. “Exaggeration is one thing, fabrica- tion is something else,” he argued. When charged in April, 1999, the accused welder and restaurant owner faced 40 charges, including sexual as- sault and assault with weapons charg- es, ‘Crown proceeded on half those charges and eventually reduced them to 16 historical charges including wea- pons, assault, attempted rape, rape and buggery. Several of those charges have been renamed in the current criminal code. The offences are alleged to have happened in the accused’s Vancouver, Kamloops, Kitimat and Terrace homes and on several rural roads in the Ter- race-Kitimat area. The 65-year-old man listened silen- tly from the accused box as a string of alleged victims testified to being vio- lently abused over 10 or more years. He pointed a gun at them, one ac- cuser said, and fired a blank. He attempted sexual intercourse, said three others, who were girls when the alleged offences happened, In all, five complainants took the stand and recounted graphic sexual or violent alleged offences. “On the ninth day, the accused testi- fied on his own behalf and vehemently denied everything. “Nothing of that nature occurred ever,” he said, “That did not happen at any time in any way.” The pun incident, he said, was just an attempt to get the complainant's at- tention. He didn’t know why anyone would accuse him of such things, he said, and was only now beginning to understand the level of hatred his accusers carried for him. One of his alleged victims owed him money, he said, and was maybe trying to shirk payments. More than one Crown witness left the courtroom in the middle of his tes- timony. Judge K.E, Neilson’s ruling is ex- pected April 3, LUCKY DOLLAR BINGO March 2000 March 2000 SUNDAY » MONDAY ., PALACE TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY. “THURSDAY: ‘FRIDAY ~ SATURDAY” Terrace Tenace Tenece 247 Air Totem een 3 Coie Sry 4 sates Swim Club Group society Kermode Friendship Benovolent Protective] Tarace Minot J Alsga’a Tia! Counc! Society Order of tha Elks [sats Terrace Local Terrace Youth Soocer 4405 Association Tetace By Bros Tenace Search 5 6 Terrace 7 Canadian 8 Peas 9g Tenge ae 1 Oeesces 11 and fesae Se) CaledaniaSenior Minor — [araplepeassosatanp yas Cub | Lite Theabe Sock] = citerara PACES Day Ca Secondary Scheel | Hockey hwesl — TRoyal Canadian] _ Oiderol satis of Colanbus Steely PareotGouncl | Association | an Lagion #13 | oy Purl ivy Terace Stag Ob Terrace Terrace Ani Terrace Terace Commu, (2 13 renace 14 sos 15 Blueback 1 Orr Gio 1 Commynity 18 Wires Bn, Bavsele duro Minor Paola sncain Swim Chi Band Fen ep econdary School Hacke lothwest ' Kinatl = | Kisgea ital Coned : Parent Auxilia Key BulleySkeena ff TeracePoes and | Kinette Clu | Association Region Drums Sociaty | o} Terrace “Teraoelocal —) TeraceVouh Sacer 19 20 al 22 awe [23 Teme, 124 satan] 0 Mesnec 4) pt Terrace Canadian wm Pecks Ari-Povety bis ‘ers of ol Terrace owt Minor Paraplegic GyrresioOb Group Soddly mee Kerk = : Parent Aso Baseball seiySieets Srames Mounain | Tengce Minor bigest Canal. JS Council Association Region Ski Club Association Terace Loa Associaton 26 (A! Tagee [28 nin [22st [0st 3] ust Caledonia Senior Minor , Pape Voirba Buea Hosptal Auriany Secondary Schical Hockey Assocation Nothwese iain Mus | ; Parent Counc Assocation oes furnal Sisterhood Sia, Nee tC ang Elders Society Sat. Afternaon Games Doors 11:30 a.m. Games 1:00 p.m. Evening Games Doors 4:30 p.m. Games 6:15 p.m. Wed.,Thurs., Fri., Sat. Late Night Games Doors9:30p.m. Games 9:45 p.m. Bingo Every Saturday Afternoon TV, MONI TORS Terrace NO SMOKING 635 AISLE CONCESSION 2411 “| 4410 Legion, Linda Lefranc Accused killer tries for youth court trial By CHRISTIANA WIENS A TERRACE youth, ac- cused of stabbing 37-year- old Linda Lefranc to death in her Braun Street town- house may be tried as a young offender despite the seriousness of his alleged crime. The youth, who can nat be named because he was 17 when police allege he killed Lefranc Dec. 9, 1998, has been charged with second-degree mur- der. He appeared in court here Feb. 25 with his law- yer Donna Turko, via vid- eo conference from the Prince George Correction- al Centre, to set a date for a transfer hearing, which would allow him to be tried as a young offender. By. law, 16- and 17- year-old youths charged with second degree murder are tried as adults, unless a judge allows the case to be transferred back to youth court. The hearing, to deter- mine whether the Terrace man will be tried as a youth, is set for July 10 and is scheduled to last five days. If the accused is tried as a young offender, his maximum sentence would be three years. If he is tried as an adult, that sen- tence jumps fo as many as 10 to 25 years before he is eligible for parole. The accused will also undergo testing at a foren- sic psychiatric institute to determine, among other things, his state of mind when he allegedly com- milled the brutal stabbing. He has been held in custody since his arrest at the airport Dec. 17. His arrest marked the — end of the Terrace RCMP’s extensive investi- gation into the single mother and college stud- — ent’s violent death. Lefranc’s body was dis- year-old daughter. _ The girl now lives with her father in Kitimat. classified word ad and... a: ssa tear MNS — Yt i" "NOAN. "tates Nmianai iN TFROODU ¢ ii WHERE THE POWER N G OF THE CLASSIFIED AD MEETS THE POWER OF THE INTERNET! http:/www.beclassified.com When you place a classified word ad it in our r newspaper, your ad will automatically be posted. 0 on ihe Internet, for the entire duration of the booking. — TERRACE STANDARD Ph: 250-638-7283 FAX 250-638-8432 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2