CAO ANNOUNCED | New chief administrative officer takes over the reins at Vernon city hall [A6]
Morning gStar
The
Friday, March 30, 2012
P R O U D L Y
S E R V I N G
O U R
N O R T H
We’ll get you home! PETERS TIRECRAFT
www.peterstire.com 4612 - 27 St, Vernon 250-545-0634
w w w. v e r n o n m o r n i n g s t a r. c o m
O K A N A G A N
C O M M U N I T I E S
F O R
O V E R
2 0
Y E A R S
Ashton heartened by support ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
H
er lawyer prepared her not to jump to any conclusions during Judge Alison Beames’ verdict until Beames spoke her final words. And when Deborah Ashton heard Beames say “not guilty,” she buried her head in her hands and erupted in tears of joy and relief. Ashton, 47, a former Vernon elementary school teacher and vice-principal, was found not guilty Wednesday morning by Beames on all five counts of having an alleged sexual relationship with a former student of hers. “I can’t remember when it (emotion) turned, I remember very little about the courtroom other than that she (Beames) dressed me down for, what, a good five-to-10 minutes?” said Ashton, hours after the verdict was rendered. The relationship was alleged to have happened between 2003 and 2005, when the boy was in Grade 7 at the same elementary school Ashton taught at, and continued on while he attended a Vernon high school. Beames said, in delivering the verdict, “there is evidence in this case that Ashton and the alleged victim – who was in the courtroom to hear the verdict – had a relationship that went far beyond the normal teacherstudent and player-coach relationship (Ashton was the boy’s basketball coach at the Vernon elementary school they were at in Grade 7).” Ashton had been charged with sexual interference of a person under 14, invitation to sexual touching under 14 and sexual assault in her first trial on the matter, which ended in February 2011 with a hung 12-person jury. This time, before Beames alone, Ashton was also facing two additional charges of sexual
VERNON TOYOTA
LISA VANDERVELDE/MORNING STAR
Deborah Ashton is overwhelmed with joy and relief following Wednesday’s verdict in Vernon Supreme Court absolving her of charges in connection with an alleged sexual relationship with a former student. See video at www.vernonmorningstar.com exploitation. She pleaded not guilty to all counts. The judge said that while evidence showed an inappropriate relationship happened between Ashton and the alleged victim – Beames referred to him as ‘the complainant’ in her submission – she had “fundamental and significant problems” on whether a sexual relationship had taken place. “The complainant clearly testified that numerous sexual acts took place in her vehicle, but he can’t recall a single, specific instance of intercourse in
DL# 30382
3401 - 48th Ave • Phon Phone Pho ne 545-0687 5445-0687 VISIT US 24/7 AT WWW WWW.VERNONTOYOTA.COM V VERNONTOYOTA.COM VERNONTOYO
her vehicle,” said Beames. “He couldn’t say if they had sex on the front seat, middle seat or back seat.” Beames also pointed out that the complainant had no recollection of what she called “a huge and obvious tattoo” that Ashton has on her navel. Crown counsel had to prove to Beames that a sexual relationship had taken place, not that it “likely or probably happened.” “When the evidence fails to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, the accused must be acquitted,” said Beames.
In the courthouse Thursday, before the verdict was read, Ashton said she received numerous text messages and wellwishes from her supporters which proved to be a welcome distraction. “It took my mind off things,” said Ashton. “I was shaking all morning, nervous all morning, but I was hopeful. I felt there was reasonable doubt.” La Liberte agreed with the verdict. “We showed the frailities of what Crown’s evidence was,” said La Liberte outside the Vernon
Court House Wednesday. “The obvious one was a huge tattoo that just defied the imagination. For somebody to stand up and accuse somebody of a serious criminal offence like this in Canada, they better have their ducks in row. “They’re presumed to be innocent until Crown has proven beyond any reasonable doubt. The Crown did not have the evidence in this case and there were some very striking errors that mystified the imagination.”
SALE
See SUPPORTERS on A5
LAST RED TAG DAYS CHECK OUT OUR OF MARCH AD ON PG. A-15