That’s right. Peter Whitmore has not demonstrated himself to be a threat at all. He certainly isn’t “well known for a string of high-profile sex assault convictions against children.” I mean, what’s four convictions for sexual abuse of children, really? I mean, the chances are basically nil that he could possibly offend again. Clearly the first short prison sentences completely rehabilitated him. It’s no wonder the last judge only gave him three years.
Oh. You say he’s run off with a ten-year old boy? How surprising! Who would have thunk it, eh?
How did the sentences he received compare with the sentences he could have received for the offences he was convicted of? If the judge who gave him three years for probation violations could only give him those three years, for example, then your beef isn’t with the judges. It’s with the legislators who define the sentence parameters.
I love Canada. I do. I adore it. But, it’s Canada’s dirty little secret that child sexual abuse and lenient sentences are a big big problem there. A very important, but, tellingly, ignored and obscure, book on the subject is Criminal Neglect: Why Sex Offenders Go Free by Dr. W.L Marshall and Sylvia Barrett. The tag line is: “How Canada’s Criminal Justice System Ignores The Devastating Effects of Sexual Abuse.” That book should not only be in print and easy to find, it should be well-known to every Canadian of voting age. Why does it seem like Canadians are willing to close their ears and hum “LALALA” when it comes to the subject of sexual abuse? The tragedy of the children involved demand some loudmouths, just like we have here in the states (which could itself be doing a lot better).
Everything did end okay. Standoff in Sask. abduction ends peacefully. Thankfully the boys were okay - of course that is a relative term at this point without knowing what has happened to them.
The Globe also has a story on the second chance laws that gave Whitmore his ability to re-offend again and again - here. It is incredible that so many people knew he had to be watched like a hawk and still the system failed. Hell, even his lawyer knew he was a problem. While in general I do believe that people should get a second chance, Whitmore was on his third or fourth chance. No more chances for him, please. Lock him up and lose the key. It is clear that given any chance he will re-offend again.