Report Concludes There Isn't Enough Evidence To Press Sex Charges Against Polygamous Group
 
By Valerie Chang
AHN (All Headline News)
 
Vancouver, BC (AHN) - An independent prosecutor commissioned to make recommendations whether criminal charges should be pressed against a polygamous group living in Bountiful, B.C. has concluded that there isn't enough evidence to charge members with sexual offenses against minors.

B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said at a news conference on Wednesday that Richard Peck, the independent prosecutor, concluded that the evidence would likely be insufficient to produce a conviction because many of the young girls in the community who were married to older men said they were the ones who initiated sexual relationships with the older men.

Mr. Oppal also said there was no evidence that men in a position of trust had sexually exploited young girls.

In addition to his findings relating to potential criminal charges, Mr. Peck recommended that the question of whether laws prohibiting polygamy in Canada violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be referred to the British Columbia Court of Appeals, as government officials may ask courts to decide legal questions in the absence of a prosecution.

The issue may implicate religious freedom, as members of the Bountiful community who practice polygamy are part of a fundamentalist Mormon sect who believe that men must marry several women to get into heaven.

Mr. Peck noted that the question is likely to find its way to the Supreme Court of Canada.
 
allheadlinenews.com
Originally published August 1, 2007
 
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