More than two years after the suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons, officials have decided to review the details of the Rehtaeh Parsons sexual assault case, due to speculations of misconduct and mishandling.
The initial assault allegedly occurred in 2011 when Parson was only 15. Several days following the alleged incident, Parsons’ family contacted police and an emergency health team. RCMP officers eventually conducted an investigation and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to lay charges.
In April 2013, approximately 17 months after the alleged incident and close to a year after the conclusion of the RCMP investigation, Parsons attempted suicide at her home in Nova Scotia. Her attempt failing, Parsons’ fell into a coma, leading to her family’s decision to take her off of life support a few days later. Her death is largely attributed to the bullying she faced for the pictures of her sexual assault.
Though the RCMP’s investigation led to no charges, Ontario’s chief prosecutor Murray Segal, who led an independent review of the Parsons case released on Oct. 8, 2015, wrote that it “should have reached its conclusion sooner.” According to Segal, the Parsons case took longer than it should have, possibly due to a lack of attention given from the police.
Segal concluded that though there was reason to believe that the assault had taken place, there was not enough evidence to press charges of sexual assault or to convict the assailants.
According to both the RCMP and Segal’s investigation, photographic evidence of the assault was not enough for conviction due to other pieces of evidence that had surfaced from the case. Parsons’ intoxication at the time of the assault could have hampered her ability to fully recollect the event, which had been cited by the Crown as an important piece of information that was taken into account in their decision.
While there may not have been grounds to convict Parsons’ accused rapists on charges of sexual assault, however, there were certainly grounds to believe that the photographic evidence of the assault could be considered child pornography, as Parson’s was underage. Segal’s review of the case recognizes that this was one of the crucial errors made in the investigation.
According to CTV News, and a number of other sources, the photo of the assault had been taken when Parsons had been drinking at a house party. Two boys were allegedly involved in the event. One of the two boys allegedly engaged in intercourse with Rehtaeh who should have been unable to consent, while the other photographed the act.
In August 2013, charges of child pornography were laid on the two men who had taken and distributed the photo from the sexual assault of Rehtaeh Parsons. The two charged individuals were considered to be youths at the time of the event, and were not charged as adults. The Youth Criminal Justice Act protects the identities of the offenders.
On Oct. 8, 2015, Dennis Daley, the acting chief superintendent of the RCMP delivered a quote to CTV News that addressed the RCMP’s supposed shortcomings:
“We apologize and we remain committed to addressing the issues and recommendations so we continue to progress.”