By Kenneth Jackson and Keith Laboucan
APTN National News
Edmonton – A startling revelation came out in an Edmonton courtroom Thursday when an 18-year-old First Nation girl said she had been raped five days earlier but when police were called she was the one who got arrested.
On top of that, no rape kit was performed until three days later.
It’s not immediately known where her alleged attackers are. The young woman can’t file a criminal complaint with police until she is released from custody.
The bombshell was dropped in Youth Court when the young woman, who APTN National News is not naming as of now, said she’d been raped at a west end motel on Sunday. She was bloodied, bruised and had a front tooth knocked out in the attack according to both her lawyer and a youth court worker.
She said she called her mom after the assault. Her mother called police who ran the girls name in their computer.
They discovered she had an outstanding warrant for an arrest on an old outstanding breach as a minor. As part of her conditional discharge she was to write an apology letter and do 40 hours of community service.
She never did for some reason so the police arrested her.
They put her in jail.
When contacted, the Edmonton police said they couldn’t comment.
Mark Cherrington works in youth and family court as a youth worker. He said he was blown away by what he heard in court.
“She’s just hysterical and in tears. She’s just been totally traumatized,” said Cherrington, describing the young woman in court.
Cherrington said she told police she had been raped but officers are alleged to have said that she could file a complaint after being released.
The remand centre was tripled-bunked so she ended up sleeping on the floor with two other women in a holding cell.
No rape kit was performed Sunday. On Monday nothing was done.
Finally, on Tuesday a rape kit was taken. She couldn’t bathe for three days for fear she’d wash away the evidence but also because prisoners in holding cells aren’t able to shower.
“She understands she can’t have a shower or bath Monday (or Sunday) because she needs to get a rape kit. Tuesday comes along and they bring her for a rape kit which [was] way beyond the recommended time,” said Cherrington.
Her lawyer is going to be filing a complaint with police.
“This young woman told me that she had been sexually assaulted, did not have a rape kit done on her immediately, waited until Tuesday for the rape kit and, on top of that, five days she went without a shower,” said Parm Johal.
Cherrington said the test came back positive she had been raped.
Johal said her client was at the motel with her boyfriend and they got into an argument and he left. She was befriended by two men and woman who were staying there. They invited her in to their room and she alleges they attacked her. She alleges that both men sexually attacked her and the woman physically assaulted her.
Johal said it wouldn’t be hard for police to track them down because they would have had to give identification to get the room.
The young woman’s troubles don’t end there.
She was kept in the remand centre Thursday and was supposed to be released Friday evening, said Cherrington.
“I would go on the record that there are two levels of justice in this city. There’s Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal justice,” he said.
More on that and this developing story Monday on APTN National News.
would things have been different if she were white you bet they would have!!!
This reflects the normal priorities of law enforcement. This wasn’t one cop or a couple, this was the system itself, and things like this happen all the time, to poor white people as well as immigrants and first nations. But this kind of thing rarely comes out in court and it’s even rarer that the media covers it.
I just want to say, first to the young girl, I am soooo sorry that you were treat this way by the adults who are supposed to protect you. These police should be ashamed. They know what your charge was and it was not something that outweighs the horrifying experience you had. Three people who are a danger to society, are roaming around while you were in that cell. This is of major concern to me. Not a young girl who didnt show up for her probation. The morals and common sense of these police officers is insulting to the rest of the adults who care about young people. Im also very concerned for you because now this case is in a system that wastes time and doesnt get the job done. I hope you get your justice and dont give up. These people need to be caught. Be strong and i hope you get the help you deserve. As for the police, just because this girl had a breach charge, this is nothing compared to the assailants in this rape attack. Why were the police not interested in finding these people? Where are they now? This is disturbing to me.This young woman may be considered an adult in Alberta, but if you have any children, you know they are still children at 18 and do not always consider what is out there. They still need our protection.
Horrible about the rape kit, but she should of been arrested
That’s what the warrant dictates. Any person of any origin would of been arrested in that situation. Plain and simple.
I hope the officers who did not do their jobs and administer the rape kit are dealt with accordingly.
Has this been reported in the so-called mainstream media? If not, why not? I’m starting to see why the incarceration rate for aboriginals is so high. The justice system is designed for non-aboriginals.
this is totally disgusting………….this is why noone trusts the police anymore
Sue them, please sue them, please. ridiculous behavior by a bunch of keystone cops. Sue them, sue them, sue them, and after you are done suing them, sue them again/
When people join the force do they leave their brains behind? One, take the potential rape victim to the hospital for testing and treatment. Two, deal with smaller outstanding legal issues. Her mother should have taken her daughter to a hospital instead of calling the police, but people are too trusting and ignorant, and she was probably quite stressed and didn’t think of the best possible response for her daughter’s well-being.
Wow! …. I thought the mantra of ALL police departments was: “to protect and serve.” It does NOT say to protect and serve only whites! This young woman was violated by the rapists and then her rights were violated by the police!
Some members of the ECP are disgusting pigs and should be arrested themselves. No wonder people resort to vigilante justice.
People ,this must change…People get ready for the change is coming….
This makes me sick to my stomach
WTF? Police find a woman beaten and bloodied, trying to file a rape report, and they arrest her?
I Don’t care what the outstanding warrant was for, if you find someone in need of medical attention you GET THEM medical attention. If there is flight risk, fine keep them under guard in the hospital, and take the complaint, and collect the evidence.
You don’t help damned rapists get away with it and call yourself a decent person.
But apparently you can still say you are an Edmonton cop.
LAW SUIT!
I wonder what the excuse the officers will have for that. All females when they say they were raped regardless of colour should have a rape kit done.
just another blatant disreguard for a crime commited againt a native girl, pickton loves cops like you, if it were a white teenager the skies wouldve blown up with helicopters and search parties and massve man hunts wouldve ensued
“I would go on the record that there are two levels of justice in this
city. There’s Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal justice,” he said.
And that says it all.
I am so sorry this happened to you. You are in my thoughts. Waiting for your day of justice.
Sick” ECP. some i hope are human but the old ones are all warped” Native girls never got much help from them in the 80’s, looks like not much as changed.my sisters murderer still walking’ i hope he’s dead cause thats the best place for him. i hope the cops who helped him to be free are sleeping well”
,
What’s truly appalling besides the casual brutality of the Edmonton police and the system itself is the MSM’s utter lack of interest in this dreadful story. Cherrington Tweeted several times yesterday, nada. I don’t know him, but I put his Tweets up on my blog because he sounded credible. Numerous re-Tweets and online reactions over the course of the day, still nothing.
Thanks for breaking this thing out of the Twitterverse and blogosphere. The rest of the media have demonstrated, yet again, that FN issues are to be either sneered at or ignored as long as possible.
That is ridiculous! Thought things like this were behind us but apparently aboriginal women still do not matter. My heart goes out to this young woman and her family.
I went to an anti-bullying rally today sponsored by EPS…Thought it was a bit of a farce. Sadly I was right.