Rehtaeh Parsons’ father has little faith in DND probe
Fears ‘slap on the wrist’ over attempted smear campaign
The father of Rehtaeh Parsons says he’s not sure whether the individual who used Defence Department computers to try to post offensive comments online about his dead daughter will face any punishment.
“You lose your faith after a while,” said Glen Canning, who had served in the military. “It might be a slap on the wrist, which I think is unfortunate.”
The military police investigation into the use of the computers and the alleged involvement of a member of the Canadian Forces is now finished. It will be up to the military member’s commanding officer to determine whether he faces any consequences.
Ottawa lawyer Michel Drapeau, who specializes in military law, said the decision to turn the case over to the commanding officer, and refusal to provide any details to the public, indicates the individual might face only administrative action. “He may be talked to by the commanding officer and told not to do it again,” said Drapeau. “But we’ll never know.”
Parsons committed suicide in 2013. She killed herself after a student distributed a photo of Parsons, then 15, vomiting during a sexual act at a party in 2011. Her parents say she was subjected to intense bullying after the photo was circulated.
Canning filed a complaint with military police last year after someone used a DND computer to try to leave comments aimed at smearing his daughter’s reputation. Canning blocked the comments from being posted to his website.
In addition, a DND computer was later used to alter a Wikipedia page about Parsons’ suicide.
Information on the site that suggested she had been raped was changed to suggest the sex was consensual.
The comments to Canning’s website and Wikipedia edits originated from three IP addresses at Canadian Forces Base Halifax, military police noted. Investigators also seized computer data in Ottawa as part of the investigation.
Police alleged the comments were offensive and violated DND’s computer use policy.
During the investigation, military police in Halifax arrested and questioned a Canadian Forces member who is the father of one of the boys convicted of child pornography in Parsons’ case.
During the interview, the man “stated it was possible that he may have written a couple of the comments on Glen Canning ’s website, but was unsure if he had or not,” a court document noted.
The man’s son had pleaded guilty to sharing the photo of Parsons. He cannot — along with his family — be identified because he was a youth at the time.
Canning has not heard anything from military police. He learned the investigation was finished when he was informed earlier this week by a Citizen reporter.
Capt. Joanna Labonte said in an email that details of the investigation are “protected by the Privacy Act.” Labonte stated that outside police agencies were not called in to investigate the case since the computers were owned by DND.
But Drapeau said the case should have been turned over to civilian police as such forces are more accountable and open.