Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Shocking Story Dept: It is a shocking story that was "fumbled" by the justice sys-tem, said Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.'s representative for children and families. She raised multiple concerns about the case in a report released Thursday, according to Vancouver Sun. The failure to provide the translation services within a reasonable amount of time led a Provincial Court judge to stay the 13 charges because the father's right to a fair trial had been breached and thirteen charges laid against a father accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting his teenage daughter were stayed because of a two-year delay in translating his statements into English. "Allowing budgetary considerations to outweigh the plight of the vulnerable children involved in this case is shocking, unacceptable and should never happen again," says her report, The Impact of Criminal Justice Funding Decisions on Children in British Columbia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.