'Horrific act ... so socially corrupt it is sickening'
First page: A.5
Publication date: Sep 17, 2010
ProQuest document ID: 751481944
Abstract:
According to Lench, the police had no information the party was going to occur that night and they received no complaints Friday night "that would lead us to attend the property."
Full text:
There was barely concealed anger and loathing as RCMP officers issued an appeal Thursday for persons to stop downloading and file-sharing graphic photos made early Saturday showing a 16-year-old girl -- likely drugged -- being gang-raped by a group of seven males in a field outside Vancouver.
"I've been involved in investigating sexual assaults for many years. In that time I've never experienced anything like what is occurring in this investigation," said Sgt. Jennifer Hyland who is leading the investigation. She said copies of the images have been "spreading like wildfire."
"The very public discussion about this victim and the taking and subsequent sharing of photos depicting this rape is disgusting, morally corrupt and criminal," she said.
Hyland was clearly upset and frustrated that the police have been unable to prevent the girl, who required medical attention following the rape, from being re-victimized by the distribution of the photos. The images were taken by a youth who is facing a number of charges for his alleged part in the rape and the subsequent production and distribution of child pornography.
The images were posted on YouTube within hours of the assault and were removed when police became aware of them Sunday. However, copies had been downloaded and have since gone into circulation. "I want to be clear about this. What happened after this incident and continues to happen is beyond disgusting," Hyland said. "Those photos are child pornography. They have been viewed, shared, saved and re-posted numerous times. This is an offence and is so socially corrupt it is sickening.
"The posting and viewing of photos is continuing to victimize the young girl and her family and needs to stop."
Hyland said police were desperate to help the girl overcome the effects of the rapes -- and the dissemination of the rape imagery was preventing this.
Asked how the victim was, Hyland said she wasn't doing too well. Police report that they've received complaints from a number of parents whose children had been shown the images and had come home crying and upset.
The rapes in a field behind a house in an isolated rural area -- known to police as a party house -- occurred at about 1 a.m. Saturday during a rave attended by hundreds of youths and adults.
The victim had become separated from her friends and is believed to have been given a date rape drug, said Insp. Derren Lench.
"This was a gang rape by several males who took advantage of a female who couldn't consent, was drugged and had no opportunity to defend herself. She was taken to a field by several males who raped her. It was an horrific act," Lench said.
The girl suffered significant injuries from what police described as an aggressive series of assaults involving between five and seven males that lasted 20 minutes.
Tickets to the rave had been sold online and there is confusion about whether the police were informed about the rave in advance. According to Lench, the police had no information the party was going to occur that night and they received no complaints Friday night "that would lead us to attend the property."
He said police had believed the rave was set for Saturday night and patrols visited the house Saturday evening, but found nothing going on. "On the Saturday night we did get a call that a party might occur and our members made numerous patrols and determined there was no party going on. It wasn't until a few days later that we found out the party occurred on the Friday when the rape occurred," said Lench.
Police discovered details of the rape only after a person who recognized the victim came in and told officers that images of her being raped were on YouTube. Officers went out and found the victim on Sunday. She was receiving medical care for her injuries.
Const. Aaron Lloyd said the images of some of the rapists would allow police to identify them. With the exception of the photographer, no one else involved in the rape has been arrested, although police said they had leads on some of the alleged participants.
Police are in the process of tracking down anyone who attended the rave. Lloyd said some of the people who were at the rave were co-operating with police, while others were not. Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward, Lloyd said.
The owners of the property were not cooperating, he said. Likewise, the two males police believe organized the rave have not come forward.
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