Shannon: There are a couple of stories that I wanted to deal with this morning mostly because every now and then you see something and you go wow. That is amazing. I'm sure you've been following this story about the former Judge David Williams Ramsey who admitted to sexually assaulting four aboriginal girls while he was a Judge in Prince George. He was actually given his sentence yesterday. The BC Supreme Court Judge Patrick Dome ignored the plea bargain and gave him seven years in prison for the sexual assaults of the aboriginal girls. Now, here's a little background. He was appointed to the bench in 1991. He received reports on girls which outlined their ages, psychiatric histories and troubled backgrounds then at night he would pick them up. Sometimes they were as young as 12 years old and pay for sex. Sometimes he wouldn't even pay. He raped and beat these girls and threatened that if they wanted good treatment in the court they'd better behave. He wouldn't use a condom. He personally blames his actions on "a significant character flaw". He says he can't remember most of it but is taking responsibility for it. He's now no longer a Judge. He's going to jail for seven years. This is how he was caught. He picked up a 16 year old girl in 1999. He raped her and beat her, called her a whore. In February of 2002 she entered rehab and cleaned up her life and she was trying to regain custody of her son in court when she appeared before Judge Ramsey. This is amazing. Although he granted the custody order she bolted out of the courtroom and broke down on the courthouse steps and then told social workers what he had done in the past and they pursued the allegation and of course, it all mushroomed. Other girls came forward; they found several girls who the Judge "handled" in and out of court. He stepped down from the bench in 2002.
Now, I'm happy with the sentencing although the protestors, the aboriginal protestors said that he deserved more but it seems like a pretty good sentence, more than what he plea bargained for, seven years. But that's not really what I wanted to talk about. It's pretty amazing that this guy was capable. What a guy. Is that a character, I don't know what that was but here's what I noticed watching the coverage of it on the news or even if you didn't see it on the news, if you had seen the pictures in the newspaper there's a picture actually on the front page of the Sun today that caught my attention and I noticed it last night when I was watching the news as well. It's a picture of Ramsey with his wife entering the courthouse holding hands and I thought wow, like wow. It must take a lot for that woman to be walking into the courtroom holding her husband's hand after what he's done. I don't know. I don't know if any of you noticed it too. I mean this is pretty, pretty sad, this whole situation. It's despicable that he used his position to rape and abuse and beat these girls who were obviously in trouble anyway and there his wife was, standing by her man. So, I was talking to Robin and Scott about this, this morning and I've talked to a couple like, why, how, what, how could she, the wife, just, it's amazing to me that there she is walking in the courtroom holding his hand. You know the old stand by your man thing. I know that people say that there is something noble about standing by your man but I got to tell you. I don't know if anybody else has noticed this. I really wonder how she can do that. How she could walk into the courtroom holding hands with him after all that he's done to these girls, to the judicial system, to her family, to their reputation. I mean, I'm not a particularly vindictive of spiteful person but I'm just curious to know if anybody else wondered about that. Like, I think at some point you draw the line. Like it's one thing when your husband, like Hillary Clinton's husband, you know has an affair with a young intern, that's one thing because it was apparently consensual but this is pretty, these are pretty despicable crimes and I don't know, I just don't get that whole thing. I don't get how this woman could have been standing, could still be standing by her man. I don't know if it was because she's I don't know, trying to make him look like a more sympathetic character or what. I just find it hard to fathom.
And, I just thought maybe we could open the phone lines this morning. I don't know if anybody else noticed this and kind of wondered about it. How do you support a guy who's done something like this? Not once, but many times. How do you support a guy who's done this to other people? I couldn't do it and quite frankly, you've got to question either the naive devotion or I don't know what to the marriage contract, to the guy, whatever. I just don't understand how she could still be standing by her man when he's done this. Anyway here are our phone numbers and I'd like to hear from you this morning if you noticed the same thing or if you were curious about the same thing or you shook your head at the same thing because every now and then something like this happens and you're going wow. What is that woman, what is going through her mind? 604-280-2386, *1410 on your cell, toll free it's 1-877-280-2386. She's a victim as well as is his daughter. I mean just imagine how she feels? She's been sleeping with this man all this time and he's guilty of these crimes and there she is standing by her man holding his hand. I got to tell you, I don't understand it. I would have had that guy's rear end kicked from here till tomorrow. Yeah.
One of the girls in the newsroom said she thought it was a real sign of strength that this woman was standing by her man. Well I see it as a sign of weakness. I guess, I don't know, maybe that makes me vindictive and callous and horrible. I just can't believe she would do that. Once again, 602-280-2386, *1410 on your cell, toll free 1-877-280-2386. Hey Michelle, you're on CFUN. Michelle: Good morning.
Shannon: Hey are you the Michelle that gave me the cat lady's number? Michelle: No. I'm the Michelle that does slip covers. Shannon: Oh, well honey everybody wants your number.
Michelle: Well, I gave you my number and you never called me so I guess I'll have to give you it again. Shannon: Yeah, you could give it to Robin. We'd better not do it on the air. But anyway.
Michelle: Ok.
Shannon: Like, what do you make of this?
Michelle: I think you're right on with this. Sometimes you get it off the mark but this one, you've got it. Shannon: I just couldn't believe it. Michelle: The thing is you and I, well you wouldn't and maybe we wouldn't in the future with somebody like this but I've been with someone similar to this. Not as bad but he was a womanizer right.
Shannon: Right.
Michelle: And, you know what's going on and there is something in yourself that, it's the old company-dependent thing because he's got a problem. I mean he's a child abuser. Shannon: He's a pedophile. Michelle: Yeah, and if they have a daughter, I'm sure there's more. I mean I can't say. Who am I to, but often later on things come out.
Shannon: Yeah.
Michelle: There's more than what's on the surface. But the thing about this guy that really gave me the creeps, weird smile on his face when he was coming and going from court.
Shannon: The smirk thing.
Michelle: Smirky, he was like proud of what he'd done. Shannon: And, I shouldn't say he was a pedophile. I'm going to retract that right now because there is no evidence that he's a pedophile but certainly his behavior is pretty abominable. Michelle: Well it is child abuse when you do something with a 12 year old girl.
Shannon: That's a fact. Michelle: Or a 15 year old girl. I'm sorry the age of consent I think is back up to 16 now in Canada isn't it? Shannon: It's 14. Michelle: Is it still 14?
Shannon: I think so, yeah.
Michelle: Thank you Sven Robinson.
Shannon: Yeah, well I don't think that has anything to do with Sven Robinson I think that's just the way it is but I think you and I agree. Like, I don't understand how and maybe it is that company-dependent thing, I don't know. But first of all, how do you have a relationship with a guy who's doing this kind of thing without knowing that there's something off here, right? Like there's obviously something going on and the old stand by your man thing, is that the noble thing to do, is that a sign of strength? I don't think so. I think in this case I'd have been, there's just, I don't know how you stand by somebody who's admitted to assaulting these girls in their tender years and they're totally vulnerable and they've got drug problems and then they are in your courtroom and subjected to your sentencing. I can't make any sense of it. 604-280-CFUN, *1410 on your cell. Hi Gladys, you're on CFUN. Gladys: Hi. I think it's, if this man is clearly a manipulator, it could be years of mental abuse. This lady could be scared out of her witts .
Shannon: Scared you think.
Gladys: It's a lot easier to get rid of him when he's sitting in jail than to fight him now. Shannon: Yeah.
Didn't you wonder about that though Gladys when you saw her? Like shat has she been going through?
Gladys: When I saw her, as many women as I've seen before do the same thing, it either through fear or through their wallets because there is no way any person in their right mind could agree with this or support it. Shannon: Well I'm pretty sure she doesn't support the crimes but I would have a hard time supporting somebody who committed these kinds of crimes whether you've been married to him for 40 years or not. Gladys: I think right now she might be supporting herself.
Shannon: Yeah.
Gladys: Because she is the wife of that creep and everybody will look at her as such.
Shannon: Yeah.
Well I don't know. I'd get, I don't think I would personally be able to do it. Gladys: Oh I couldn't. Shannon: Yeah, but you might be right Gladys, maybe it is fear and I appreciate your comments this morning. I certainly, the first thing I said last night when watching the news with my kids, like wow, how can she still be there, hanging in, standing by her man when he's admitted to these crimes? He's going to jail for seven years and there she is walking into the courtroom holding his hand. I guess I just don't understand the mentality. Perhaps it's noble, perhaps it's a sign of strength and perhaps it's a bad sign that there's no way I'd be there. I just can't imagine it. 604-280-2386, *1410 on your cell, toll free 1-877-280-2386. If you can figure that out for me boy I'd be happy to be enlightened how a woman could stand by her man after all that. I'm Shannon, this is CFUN, 1410am.
