STORY: "Retired detective refuses to admit error in wrongful conviction," by reporter Ian Mulgrew, published by the Vancouver Sun on November 3, 2015.
SUB-HEADING: "Ivan Henry was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault in 1983. He is suing prosecutors for allegedly breaching his Charter rights after he was acquitted in 2010 of 10 sexual-assault convictions."
GIST: "Time doesn’t always heal. Sometimes it hardens. It appears to have ossified retired Vancouver police detective William Harkema.The
72-year-old, who made key investigative decisions that led to the
wrongful conviction of Ivan Henry for a series of 1980s sex assaults,
may have turned to stone. During his week-long
testimony at Henry’s B.C. Supreme Court trial seeking compensation for
the 27 years he spent in prison, Harkema came across as bitter, refusing
to even consider he might have made a horrendous mistake. Racked
by health problems and sitting outside the witness box to accommodate
his discomforts, Harkema took refuge in a spotty memory, or simply
denied any responsibility for Henry’s ordeal. He
bristled at being labelled the lead investigator, although he received a
commendation for being “the task force coordinator and responsible for
preparing the (Henry) case for court.” While
his superiors praised his devotion, “the backbone of the investigation,”
Harkema sourly maintained “that wasn’t my opinion, it was their
opinion.” He chafed at the suggestion he should
have pointed out the discrepancies in the identification of Henry and
other problems with the case.........The trial continues."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/mulgrew+retired+detective+refuses+admit+error+wrongful/11490289/story.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I
have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible
years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr.
Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of
Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"
section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It
can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com;
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;