‘The justice system failed her’: Nova Scotia teenager commits suicide after being rap

Goober

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‘The justice system failed her’: Nova Scotia teenager commits suicide after being raped, bullied: mother

Point- I am going with the belief that this did happen.
Many failed her -the schools-the teachers - her friends- as did the parents of those that harassed her to death, if they were aware of this harassment.

Important link from SLM
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dail...her-sexual-assault-victim-nova-212003391.html

Rehtaeh Parsons suicide: Mother says teenager was raped, bullied | Canada | News | National Post

The mother of a 17-year-old Halifax girl who committed suicide says her daughter was raped by four boys about 18 months ago and viciously bullied after a photo of the alleged incident was passed around her school and community.

Rehtaeh Parsons tried to kill herself Thursday night and was taken off life support Sunday.

In an extensive post on a Facebook memorial page, her mother Leah Parsons described how the straight-A high school student became depressed and suicidal after the incident.

“The person Rehtaeh once was all changed one dreaded night in November 2011. She went with a friend to another’s home. In that home she was raped by four young boys . . . one of those boys took a photo of her being raped and decided it would be fun to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community where it quickly went viral,” Leah Parsons wrote. “Because the boys already had a ‘****’ story, the victim of the rape Rehtaeh was considered a ****.

“This day changed the lives of our family forever.”

Rehtaeh, who was a 15-year-old high school student in Cole Harbour at the time, was repeatedly bullied at school and “suddenly shunned by almost everyone she knew.”

“She was never left alone. She had to leave the community. Her friends turned against her. People harassed her. Boys she didn’t know started texting her and Facebooking her asking her to have sex with them. It just never stopped,” her mother told CBC.

Rehtaeh moved and transferred to a school in nearby Halifax but “struggled emotionally with depression and anger.”

She later was checked into a hospital amid worries she would harm herself.

Leah Parsons said that police never charged any of the boys over the alleged incident.

“One year later the police conclude their investigation to state that it comes down to ‘he said, she said’ they believed the boys raped her but the proof in a court of law was difficult to gather,” Parsons said
in her post.

“An investigation was completed and in consultation with the Crown there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges,” Cpl. Scott MacRae told the National Post. “Investigations can be complex in nature, police have to look at all the evidence . . . and see if it meets reasonable grounds, if the evidence can support the charge. When we consult with the Crown, they look at a different burden — the likelihood of conviction.”

The N.S. Public Prosecution Service told the National Post that the RCMP sought their advice last year about laying charges of sexual assault and distributing child pornography. Both Crown attorneys who reviewed the case concluded there was “no realistic prospect of conviction.”

MacRae said that everyone involved in the investigation was a minor at the time of the alleged incident.

Leah Parsons did not mince words about how she thought her daughter’s case was handled.
 
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Nuggler

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The N.S. Public Prosecution Service told the National Post that the RCMP sought their advice last year about laying charges of sexual assault and distributing child pornography. Both Crown attorneys who reviewed the case concluded there was “no realistic prospect of conviction.”

MacRae said that everyone involved in the investigation was a minor at the time of the alleged incident.""""


Sounds like some desperate spin on the part of the crown.
 

SLM

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Mar 5, 2011
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This is so sad, such a waste of a young life.

I was actually just reading that story here Who Failed Rehtaeh Parsons?

I'm reminded of the rave in Vancouver a while back where a girl was raped and photo's and I think video went viral. What struck me the most about the passing on of these photos was not that it was being passed on, that was cruel and like it or not there has always been a certain portion of youth that will be cruel and gang up on the weaker ones. But what struck me was, when a reporter on the evening news was asking teens in another part of the country about this they seemed indifferent to it.

And this girl, irrespective of whether a rape occured or whether it could be prosecuted, was clearly suffering and even her friends turned against her. And she is not the first one that this has happened to. I have to wonder why? I'm loathe to paint all kids with one brush, and in fact I know many kids are kind, supportive and loving people but this indifference and complacency seems to be growing. That's the part that I just cannot understand.
 

Goober

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This is so sad, such a waste of a young life.

I was actually just reading that story here Who Failed Rehtaeh Parsons?

I'm reminded of the rave in Vancouver a while back where a girl was raped and photo's and I think video went viral. What struck me the most about the passing on of these photos was not that it was being passed on, that was cruel and like it or not there has always been a certain portion of youth that will be cruel and gang up on the weaker ones. But what struck me was, when a reporter on the evening news was asking teens in another part of the country about this they seemed indifferent to it.

And this girl, irrespective of whether a rape occured or whether it could be prosecuted, was clearly suffering and even her friends turned against her. And she is not the first one that this has happened to. I have to wonder why? I'm loathe to paint all kids with one brush, and in fact I know many kids are kind, supportive and loving people but this indifference and complacency seems to be growing. That's the part that I just cannot understand.

I added your link to the OP - Is that OK??? Has much more info than I had in the OP.
 

Goober

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The justice system?

Sounds more like her community failed her.

In the OP I also add in many others. But the community members that knew of this, covered it up, protected those that should be charged, let the kids harass, bully- they are scum in my opinion. Oh it is a long list.

And life has an odd way of returning to some those things they covered up.
 

SLM

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Mar 5, 2011
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The justice system?

Sounds more like her community failed her.

Exactly. Not that sexual assault is anything minor, goodness knows I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy, but with the proper support victims overcome. Even in cases where the crime is not prosecuted, for whatever reason, if the support is there, they can heal.

It is not the rape that drove this girl to suicide. It was the continued assault from what seems like everyone around her.

My heart is breaking over the loneliness and despair she must have felt.
 

JLM

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The justice system?

Sounds more like her community failed her.

The justice system failed her, there's not much better evidence than photograghs and I would think it's pretty hard to rape a girl without leaving some D.N.A. and Voila you got the little bastards, then while they are waiting trial you confine them with the general prison population. Of course it just takes a corrupt defence lawyer to f**k that up. The old West had a better system for a lot of this sh*t.
 

Goober

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Exactly. Not that sexual assault is anything minor, goodness knows I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy, but with the proper support victims overcome. Even in cases where the crime is not prosecuted, for whatever reason, if the support is there, they can heal.

It is not the rape that drove this girl to suicide. It was the continued assault from what seems like everyone around her.

My heart is breaking over the loneliness and despair she must have felt.

How many young girls take the suicide route and the family and friends are left wondering. And no one know why. Except for some scumsuckers.
What actions did the school take to protect this young girl.
 

SLM

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How many young girls take the suicide route and the family and friends are left wondering. And no one know why. Except for some scumsuckers.
What actions did the school take to protect this young girl.

She moved, went to a new city, a new school. Her tormentors sought her out. That's the part that trips me up. That's different than not being supportive. That's all about twisting the knife.
 

Goober

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She moved, went to a new city, a new school. Her tormentors sought her out. That's the part that trips me up. That's different than not being supportive. That's all about twisting the knife.

There are no large cities in the Maritime's. She had no place to go where she could be unknown, time to heal, time to seek and understand the help she was receiving.
She never had a chance to start again.
 

SLM

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There are no large cities in the Maritime's. She had no place to go where she could be unknown, time to heal, time to seek and understand the help she was receiving.
She never had a chance to start again.

I'd like to think it'll be different next time, but I fear it won't.
 

JamesBondo

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"Both Crown attorneys who reviewed the case concluded there was “no realistic prospect of conviction"

I call bull****, if you get 4 seventeen year old boys in separate interrogation rooms, you should get 4 statement incriminating the other 3.
 

Goober

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I'd like to think it'll be different next time, but I fear it won't.

Expect to see a dramatic rise in these types of suicides- not just from rape but other peer related factors that drive a teen to such a drastic action.
 

JLM

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One of the main problems today and since Trudeau was in power, is too many rights for the wrong people.