R. v. Rennie

R. v. Rennie

Trial judge accepted that the videotaped interviews and in‑court testimony of the two young complainants were overall reliable and, despite some methodological concerns and inconsistencies, found the Crown had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Rennie intentionally touched the children in a sexual manner and did so for a sexual purpose; the accused's explanations and conduct (including failure to attend the preliminary inquiry) undermined his credibility and did not raise a reasonable doubt.

Citation
2012 BCSC 2108
Parties
Crown: Regina; Accused: William George Yves Rennie
Court
Supreme Court of British Columbia
Jurisdiction
Canada
Judgment Date
19 October 2012
Procedural Posture
Criminal / Trial Judgment
Outcome
Guilty on all four counts
Legal Topics
Sexual Assault, Sexual Interference, Child Witness Evidence, Interview Methodology, Expert Medical Evidence, Disclosure
Source Language
English
Criminal Law Child Sexual Abuse Evidence Sexual Assault Sexual Interference Child Witness Evidence Interview Methodology Expert Medical Evidence +1 more

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Parties

Regina

Crown

William George Yves Rennie

Accused

Procedural Posture

Criminal / Trial Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the Crown proved touching and sexual purpose beyond a reasonable doubt for each complainant separately
  2. 2 Reliability and admissibility of videotaped interviews of young children
  3. 3 Assessment of accused's credibility and failure to appear at preliminary inquiry

Ratio Decidendi

Trial judge accepted that the videotaped interviews and in‑court testimony of the two young complainants were overall reliable and, despite some methodological concerns and inconsistencies, found the Crown had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Rennie intentionally touched the children in a sexual manner and did so for a sexual purpose; the accused's explanations and conduct (including failure to attend the preliminary inquiry) undermined his credibility and did not raise a reasonable doubt.

Court Disposition

Guilty on all four counts