NO BILLS | Howie Cyr doesn’t spend any money on his successful campaign for Enderby mayor [A5]
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
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Carol Anderson prepares to make her move after Stu Pike sends the ball her way during a sunny Wednesday game of tennis at Marshall Field. The tennis season gets into swing in April, with Vernon Recreation ladies action starting April 2, mixed on April 3 and the Vernon Tennis Association league starting at the end of April.
Lawyers set to give closing submissions ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
One thing became clear Friday as testimony in the trial of a former Vernon teacher and vice-principal accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student wrapped up in Vernon Supreme Court. The ex-husband of the accused did not write the anonymous letter in June 2008 to the Vernon School District accusing Deborah Louise Ashton of having a sexual relationship with one of her former students at a Vernon elementary school between 2002 and 2004. The alleged relationship is said to have carried on with the student up until he was in Grade 9. Ashton is facing five charges in connec-
tion with the alleged incident in this, her ter, something Jellema adamantly denied. second trial on the matter. The first trial “I found out there was a letter, didn’t resulted in a hung jury. find out until after who wrote it,” said She has pleaded not guilty to all La Liberte, during Friday’s lunch five counts. break outside the Vernon Court Friday’s court proceedings House. “Crown found out and told began with Ashton’s lawyer, Terry me within a day. It was disappointLa Liberte, announcing to judge ing. It took virtually till near the Alison Beames that the anonyend of the case for this person to mous letter writer had come forcome forward.” ward, and thus it would not be Crown counsel Neil Flanagan part of his cross-examination of said there was no value in putting Ashton’s former husband, Mike Deborah Ashton the letter writer on the stand, and Jellema, who returned to the stand La Liberte said it wouldn’t have Friday. mattered. Jellema had been on the stand during “I don’t think it’s relevant here,” said La the first week of the trial when La Liberte Liberte. “This is about whether this young accused him of writing the anonymous let- man can be believed.”
La Liberte hammered away at Jellema’s testimony that he had a conversation with Ashton’s brother, Michael, near the end of September 2003 about a visit she made to Vancouver on Labour Day weekend. Jellema said he asked Michael who Ashton had come to Vancouver with. “He told me “a skinny... kid,’” said Jellema. Asked during re-direct questioning by Flanagan why he called Ashton’s brother, Jellema said, “it was just a follow up to my concerns when Deb said she was going to Vancouver on her own on Labour Day. She indicated she’d gone on her own. My thought was she hadn’t.”
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See DAUGHTER on A2