NEWSPAPERS - VICKI BOER ABUSE CASE - SEP 18

by hawkaw 26 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  hawkaw

  Well we have the Toronto Sun today reporting yesterday's testimony. So 1 million more people will read the what Vicki's psychiatrist said.

  Also note what the 3rd elder who was in the confrontation stated below. Seems he believed that the other elders had dealt with the issue. Scott Boer told me this morning he looked like an idiot.

  Court starts at 2:30 pm this afternoon

  http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-09-18-0036.html

  Wednesday, September 18, 2002

  'Wicked' testimony

  Church sex-abuse suit

  By IAN MCDOUGALL, TORONTO SUN

  An elder in the Jehovah's Witness church told court yesterday he was assured a report of sexual abuse had been passed on to the proper provincial authorities.
  
  David Walker testified yesterday in the $700,000 civil case of a woman suing the Jehovah's Witness church over allegations they failed to notify provincial authorities she was being sexually abused by her father and then traumatized by the way the case was handled by the congregation.
  
  "We abhor what is wicked. This is wicked," Walker said. "I was assured this matter had in fact been reported to the authorities."
  
  Court has heard that the woman's father turned himself into Children's Aid on Feb. 5, 1990 after a judicial committee was held in the Shelburne congregation to punish him.
  
  Walker, an elder in the neighbouring congregation of Flesherton, was a member of the committee, along with Steven Brown and Brian Cairns. Cairns and Brown are both named as defendants in the lawsuit.
  
  Earlier yesterday, court heard testimony from psychiatrist George Awad, who evaluated the woman in 1999.
  
  He said he had concluded that the woman suffered from anxiety related to the sexual abuse she had suffered from her father and the way the case had been dealt with by the Jehovah's Witnesses.
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Hi, Hawk

  What a debacle!

  Bethel must be really proud of this situation!

  Thanks for the regular updating for those of us that cannot attend in person. Sure would like to have been there in person to see this thing unfold.
• 

  expatbrit

  "I was assured this matter had in fact been reported to the authorities."

  Sounds like Mr. Walker is distancing himself from the defendants. It's also extremely damaging, since it makes Brown and Cairns appear to have been deliberately deceptive about the case.

  Was anyone in court yesterday to hear this? How did the judge react?

  Expatbrit
• 

  hawkaw

  Hi Guys,

  I talked to Scott this morning for other reasons but he filled me in. The "shrink" did really well.

  As for Walker - the WTS brought him on the stand to confirm what Brown said the other day about Vicki and Palmer not being in the same room during the confrontation. Problem was that Walker couldn't remember anything about that night - like who was there or what was said.

  So he came off looking bad and according to Scott seemed not very well preped.

  hawk
• 

  expatbrit

  Problem was that Walker couldn't remember anything about that night - like who was there or what was said.

  Don't tell me....Anderson auditors shredded his notes too?

  Expatbrit
• 

  hawkaw

  I still can't believe that Brown on Monday admitted that someone destroyed the actual minutes of the meeting that involved Vicki and her father at the Judicial Committee.

  Bad stuff - very bad stuff and the court does not like that stuff one bit.

  hawk
• 

  hawkaw

  There was a major CBC interview done last night too that aired at 6 and 11 pm locally in Toronto and in othe rareas of Ontario.

  It nailed the Watchtower by having Vicki's "shrink" saying that she was basically re-raped by doing the "confrontation. It was damning. And to top it off they had at least 2 minutes of reporter telling the story of court.

  Needless to say I was happy that another 1 million or so viewers watched the horrior. My buddies in Toronto phoned my up today (they are NOT JWs) and were stunned and shocked by what the JWs did to Vicki after they watched this broadcast.

  hawk
• 

  footprints

  Thanks for keeping us informed of the progress.
• 

  needs_lots

  We found out last night that Mr. Walker actually worked hand in hand with head office and lived at bethel. He made it sound yesterday like he was just another elder from a neighbouring congregation. So he got mud on his face today. The Judge also read in the judicial committee letter that they asked my father if he was"getting his due". THe judge was curious as to what this meant. It was explained that it meant"they asked Vicki's mother if she was giving her husband enough sex" that perhaps that was why he had went to his daughter. She was shocked! I thought she was going to fall off her chair. Could you believe that they wrote that in their letter to the society, blame everyone else but the abuser. Sorry my spelling is bad, lack of a good education.
• 

  Kenneson

  And the Watchtower Society would have us believe that elders are experienced and competent in dealing with abuse? When this case is over, who will believe them anymore?