Friday, August 31, 2007

Keep David Ramsay jailed
Aug. 29, 2007

She died in April, having survived a scant 22 years. The only good that comes of it is that at least she won’t have to hear the news that the B.C. judge who helped ruin her life has had the gall to apply for day parole barely halfway into his jail sentence.
The young Prince George woman had a hard life, as did the other three girls who David Ramsay was convicted of sexually exploiting and assaulting while a provincial court judge in Prince George and neighbouring communities.
They were terrified of testifying against the former judge, and understandably reluctant to come forward. But when one of the girls learned in 2002 that Ramsay was the judge who would be deciding whether she got her kids back from foster care, she decided enough was enough.
Ramsay must have seen the writing on the wall when the four girls came forward, because he quickly pleaded guilty in the opening days of his 2004 trial. Prosecutors had asked for a five-year jail sentence for the 61-year-old, but Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm deemed Ramsay’s crimes heinous enough to warrant an additional two years.
Ramsay had been buying aboriginal children for sex for at least nine years – 1993 to 2001 - while a judge in Prince George. The girls were typically broken, homeless kids in the years when he was hustling them into his car for rough sex and beatings.
The girl who died five months ago had seen trouble in her life. Ramsay made a sad little girl’s life significantly more miserable. For that, he got seven years in jail.
Sentences have little bearing on the time somebody actually spends in jail, and Ramsay is in fact looking at less than five years behind bars if he’s a model prisoner. Given his ability to hide his sex crimes against children from his friends, family and co-workers for many years, we can all presume he’ll have no problem acting well-adjusted to his jailers.
Few people would know the ins and outs of the justice system better than a guy like Ramsay. So it’s no surprise that he’s right on schedule with his application for day parole, to be heard Sept. 11. Ramsay would know that in Canada, you’re eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of your sentence and for day parole six months before that.
But I guess I just thought he might have understood how easy he got off in the first place, facing less than five years in jail for crimes that in my mind that are among the worst of the worst when committed by someone with the authority and community stature of Ramsay. Instead, he’s jumping on those early-release dates like none of that means a thing.
He’ll never again be held in high public regard, of course, and will no doubt pay an immense personal price for his loathsome crimes. I don’t suppose any term in jail could be as bad as that for a “pillar of the community” like Ramsay.
But I’d still like to picture him pacing in a cramped, barren cell for some time to come – if not for the rest of his life, then at least for as long as we’re legally able to keep him there. Seven years isn’t nearly enough, but it’s better than the three he’ll have done if he wins day parole this fall and is allowed to move into a halfway house.
That Ramsay will sooner or later be a free man is a certainty, and people like me will have to take comfort in the knowledge that the remainder of his life will be lived in the dark shadow of his appalling crimes.
But can that truly be the end of the story? Archives of the Prince George Citizen reveal at least three relevant cases of sex crimes involving children that Ramsay presided over during the years when he was buying children himself for violent sex. A man who buys children for sex and violence can hardly be presumed to have presided fairly over cases of other men doing the same thing.
In one case, Ramsay sentenced a man who molested his 12-year-old babysitter to 15 months’ house arrest. In another, he cut five years off the recommended sentence for a pimp living off the avails of girls as young as 13 after finding the man to be “the kinder of two pimps.” A third case ended with a $1,000 fine for a 49-year-old man caught buying sex from a child.
Maybe those sentences were fair under the circumstances. But considering how compromised Ramsay was on the subject of sexually exploited children, maybe not.
With one of his four known victims now dead, fewer voices remain to raise a ruckus at the prospect of Ramsay returning so soon to the pleasures of a privileged life they’ve never known. The least we can do for them is ensure their tormentor remains in jail for his full sentence.

10 comments:

Sherry said...

I never thought I would say something like this. But with the latest news that Ramsey has less than 2 years to live due to cancr, God has given Ramsey a fair & just sentence!

Anonymous said...

Ramsey died today.

jenny said...

I am Jenny Helgren, The first girl to come forward against Ramsey, and the 7 year sentence was for what he had done to me. I have read the comment that were left here ands first of all I would like to thank the person who wrote the article. Secondly, not eveyone deserves to die Ramsey was a monster who nver once showed remorse for the horror and trauma he inflicted upon us therefore I dont feel that he deserved the Peace that comes with death. He no longer suffers, and altough I havre started an new life and am in severe trauma councelling I will continue to suffer for years to come. I will continue to live with the pain that is so very deeply carved in my soul.

Anonymous said...

I happened to stumble across this blog tonight and was horrified by the inaccuracy of the information posted.
The young 22-year-old woman you referred to Jody did not die of an overdose. I would highly recommend that you carefully check out the facts before you publish inaccurate and disrespectful information.

Jody Paterson said...

Re: the above comments that the young woman didn't die of an overdose. I took that information from news stories, but definitely do apologize if that is the wrong cause of death. I certainly mean no disrespect to the young woman or her family, and would hope the tone of my piece overall would indicate that. I'd really appreciate getting the right information as to the cause of this young woman's death from someone who knows the facts on that, as I'd then be able to correct that in this piece.

jenny said...

I am absolutly horrified at what was written about Celynn, and so very disgusted. Jody the next time you decide to use someones story to FEED off of make sure you talk to those who wold know the honest truth, How dare you for any reason make a mistake like that, her friends and family have been through enough without other people making careless mistakes

Jody Paterson said...

I've removed those inaccurate comments about the young woman from my blog post, and am not sure why I didn't think to do that earlier. Again, my apologies - I certainly did not mean harm to the young woman victimized by David Ramsey.

Jody

Anonymous said...

jenny u r very strong to come forward against a monster like him not to many people in this world have the strength or the balls to do what u did i dont think that there is any amount of a sentence that could be served that would make it better the impact of having this happen to u is so strong that no matter what it doesnt get any better it never goes away even years later u can close ur eyes and u still picture what happened to u as if it was only yeasterday it happened i think that when someone is charged with a crime as surious as this they should have their nuts nailed to a post and kicked in the head over backwards it has more of an inpact on the victim having had it happen to them then any sentence that could ever be given to the accused and if they had there nuts nailed to a post and kicked in the head over backwards atleast thats one less sick fuck in this world that we have to worry about

Anonymous said...

But you didn't say what she died from. It how did she die?

Anonymous said...

Jenny can you tell us how Celynn died?