Two Crimes, Two Convictions, Two Sentences...
Within Canada news of two criminal proceedings. One, the case of Lord Conrad Black, found guilty of a white-collar crime in a Chicago court in July, had his sentence delivered this day; a minimum sentence of six and a half years. Harsh, perhaps, but still less than what was anticipated; a stern but not unreasonable sentence through the U.S. justice system, we are informed.
Conrad Black declared himself to be innocent, and appeared unrepentant before his trial, throughout its proceedings, and post-trial when the jury had brought back the verdict of guilt on four counts. Mr. Black was convicted of three counts of fraud, as well as obstruction of justice. Through his stewardship of Hollinger International Inc., he extracted funds for his personal enrichment. Funds which should have gone to the corporation's shareholders.
And which Mr. Black steadfastly claimed not to be the case, that he was entitled to the proceeds of "non-compete" payments, and that he was the victim of a vendetta launched against him by an unfair and unscrupulous justice system, determined to victimize him and his colleagues. Not that he had defrauded his company's shareholders, taken to himself proceeds surreptitiously and under false pretences.
His haughty posturing did not endear him to the court, nor to the countless interested onlookers, nor, presumably, to the jury. Who were instructed that they were to overlook the fact that this man was wealthy beyond their imagination, self-entitled beyond their possible experience, and to focus solely on the evidence and the charges brought against him; he could not be convicted on the basis of his social elitism, his riches, nor his unmitigated hubris.
Judge Amy St. Eve, evidently well known and respected for her judicial presence and exemplary record, handed down the sentence of six and a half years. Under American jurisprudence and the criminal justice system, fifty percent of sentencing must be served before an offender may be eligible for application for early release, unlike the Canadian counterpart which is one-third of time served.
Which brings us now to the trial, prosecution and sentencing of another criminal, this one a truly odious human being whose own apprehension of himself was also special and above the common clay, sitting in judgement upon those whom he deemed to be disrespectful of God's commandments in their trade as sex workers. This man, a Saskatchewan pig farmer, was arrested on suspicion of causing the deaths of 32 prostitutes.
Robert Pickton was found guilty on six counts of second-degree murder, after a sensational trial that detailed the degraded and miserable life he led, culminating in his victimization of street walkers whose safety and security was no one's concern, despite their multiple disappearances over the space of months, despite a troubling increase in disappearances over the space of years, with no official investigation prompted by these mysterious absences.
Until finally the rising crescendo of an alerted public outcry demanding an investigation led to his arrest, and a succeeding year spent by authorities digging up his rural property leading to the discovery of gruesome evidence that countless women who had suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth - or the downtown Eastside of Vancouver - had met their final tormented hours there on that notorious farm.
The recently-concluded trial, costing millions to prosecute, and a year in the making, brought judgement in the deaths of only six of those missing women. Another 26 identified as having lost their lives through similarly horrible circumstances at Mr. Pickton's avenging hands were not brought into issue at this trial, due simply to the complexity of distilling data from hundreds of thousands of incriminating and confusing bits of DNA evidence and files.
Because the criminal justice system bends itself into agonized knots in its attempts to be completely "fair" to the accused, while somehow managing to overlook the "rights" of the victims and their countless grieving family members, evidence that might have assisted the jury to identify this lunatic-but-sane murderer for what he truly is, removing all vestiges of doubt as to his intent, was disallowed into evidence. Which explains the careful choice made by the jury of second-degree, not first-degree murder.
In this instance - that of second-degree murder convictions - it is entirely within the realm of possibility, albeit, we can only hope, not too likely, that Mr. Pickton could serve ten years, with time off for good behaviour, enabling him to apply for early parole. To the horror and dismay of the victims' relatives. Amid a growing awareness in the public that a sizeable number of prostitutes from that same area are continuing to suffer violence. And that many young women are still being murdered, their bodies tossed aside for discovery.
Not to speak of an ongoing incidence of drug-addicted women paying for their needs through the sale of their bodies are still somehow mysteriously disappearing off the streets they patrol. And no one appears to know where they have gone to. Notices are posted now and again attesting to their having been there regularly, then suddenly no more. People wonder what has occurred to them, but since they are only prostitutes no one seems to be really galvanized.
As for the known, the identified murderer of all those other women in the recent past, there are other questions. Whether this mass murderer will again stand trial to seek nominal justice for the remaining 26 women he murdered is not yet known. Whether the original trial will be judged a mistrial, negated and another trial called as a result of the presiding judge's last-minute change of instructions to an already sitting jury is yet an unknown.
One can only shudder at society's values, when the crime of rapaciously stealthy money-grubbing is equated in violation of society's behaviourial guidelines for justice served with that of vile torture and death, earning a roughly equal sentencing is beyond despicable.
Conrad Black declared himself to be innocent, and appeared unrepentant before his trial, throughout its proceedings, and post-trial when the jury had brought back the verdict of guilt on four counts. Mr. Black was convicted of three counts of fraud, as well as obstruction of justice. Through his stewardship of Hollinger International Inc., he extracted funds for his personal enrichment. Funds which should have gone to the corporation's shareholders.
And which Mr. Black steadfastly claimed not to be the case, that he was entitled to the proceeds of "non-compete" payments, and that he was the victim of a vendetta launched against him by an unfair and unscrupulous justice system, determined to victimize him and his colleagues. Not that he had defrauded his company's shareholders, taken to himself proceeds surreptitiously and under false pretences.
His haughty posturing did not endear him to the court, nor to the countless interested onlookers, nor, presumably, to the jury. Who were instructed that they were to overlook the fact that this man was wealthy beyond their imagination, self-entitled beyond their possible experience, and to focus solely on the evidence and the charges brought against him; he could not be convicted on the basis of his social elitism, his riches, nor his unmitigated hubris.
Judge Amy St. Eve, evidently well known and respected for her judicial presence and exemplary record, handed down the sentence of six and a half years. Under American jurisprudence and the criminal justice system, fifty percent of sentencing must be served before an offender may be eligible for application for early release, unlike the Canadian counterpart which is one-third of time served.
Which brings us now to the trial, prosecution and sentencing of another criminal, this one a truly odious human being whose own apprehension of himself was also special and above the common clay, sitting in judgement upon those whom he deemed to be disrespectful of God's commandments in their trade as sex workers. This man, a Saskatchewan pig farmer, was arrested on suspicion of causing the deaths of 32 prostitutes.
Robert Pickton was found guilty on six counts of second-degree murder, after a sensational trial that detailed the degraded and miserable life he led, culminating in his victimization of street walkers whose safety and security was no one's concern, despite their multiple disappearances over the space of months, despite a troubling increase in disappearances over the space of years, with no official investigation prompted by these mysterious absences.
Until finally the rising crescendo of an alerted public outcry demanding an investigation led to his arrest, and a succeeding year spent by authorities digging up his rural property leading to the discovery of gruesome evidence that countless women who had suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth - or the downtown Eastside of Vancouver - had met their final tormented hours there on that notorious farm.
The recently-concluded trial, costing millions to prosecute, and a year in the making, brought judgement in the deaths of only six of those missing women. Another 26 identified as having lost their lives through similarly horrible circumstances at Mr. Pickton's avenging hands were not brought into issue at this trial, due simply to the complexity of distilling data from hundreds of thousands of incriminating and confusing bits of DNA evidence and files.
Because the criminal justice system bends itself into agonized knots in its attempts to be completely "fair" to the accused, while somehow managing to overlook the "rights" of the victims and their countless grieving family members, evidence that might have assisted the jury to identify this lunatic-but-sane murderer for what he truly is, removing all vestiges of doubt as to his intent, was disallowed into evidence. Which explains the careful choice made by the jury of second-degree, not first-degree murder.
In this instance - that of second-degree murder convictions - it is entirely within the realm of possibility, albeit, we can only hope, not too likely, that Mr. Pickton could serve ten years, with time off for good behaviour, enabling him to apply for early parole. To the horror and dismay of the victims' relatives. Amid a growing awareness in the public that a sizeable number of prostitutes from that same area are continuing to suffer violence. And that many young women are still being murdered, their bodies tossed aside for discovery.
Not to speak of an ongoing incidence of drug-addicted women paying for their needs through the sale of their bodies are still somehow mysteriously disappearing off the streets they patrol. And no one appears to know where they have gone to. Notices are posted now and again attesting to their having been there regularly, then suddenly no more. People wonder what has occurred to them, but since they are only prostitutes no one seems to be really galvanized.
As for the known, the identified murderer of all those other women in the recent past, there are other questions. Whether this mass murderer will again stand trial to seek nominal justice for the remaining 26 women he murdered is not yet known. Whether the original trial will be judged a mistrial, negated and another trial called as a result of the presiding judge's last-minute change of instructions to an already sitting jury is yet an unknown.
One can only shudder at society's values, when the crime of rapaciously stealthy money-grubbing is equated in violation of society's behaviourial guidelines for justice served with that of vile torture and death, earning a roughly equal sentencing is beyond despicable.
posted by Pieface | 5:29 PM
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