News Release Archive
JUSTICE--DECISION ON INVESTIGATION MADE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Justice Minister Jay Abbass has asked the Amherst Police to conduct a reinvestigation into the alleged sexual assault of Jennifer Cooper while she was a resident at the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Facility in 1985. The decision to launch a reinvestigation is not based on a finding of inappropriate or inadequate police investigation, but rather on revisions that have been made to Section 16 of the Canada Evidence Act, dealing with admissibility of evidence. In 1985, the Canada Evidence Act required corroborating evidence, or a corroborating witness to gain a conviction on the evidence of a child. That is no longer a requirement under the act. The available evidence must be assessed in this context. The decision to reopen the investigation was made on recommendations put forward by Amherst Police Chief Charles Parlee, and Bob Barss, director of Police and Public Safety, Department of Justice. A case management review was recently conducted by the Amherst Police at the request of Mr. Barss. The facility was operated by the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA), an interprovincial cooperative agency established in 1975 by joint agreement among the ministers of Education of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. -30- Contact: Michele McKinnon 902-424-6811 trp Apr. 1, 1997 - 10:30 a.m.