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Can't see the 'ShareThis' icon? Reload your page view by pressing Shift and clicking Refresh at the same time.I never see Gormley as visibly angry as when we are talking about child sex offenders on the show.
A few weeks ago we discussed Danial Gratton, the child sex-offender who was arrested in October for the abduction and sexual assaults of two Edmonton girls - ages 7 and 10 - in the span of just a few days. Gratton is a serial pedophile who was declared a long-term offender and sent to prison for molesting six children - one child at least 70 times in six months. He was on parole for these offences when he allegedly kidnapped the two Edmonton girls by luring each of them with the promise of kittens, then drugging, sexually assaulting and threatening to kill them before letting them go.
The public wasn't warned of the fact that Gratton was free and wandering in the midst of their children because high-ranking law enforcement officials decided he wasn't a "high risk". He was "on parole" and "in treatment". Clearly that worked out well.
Then there is Peter Whitmore.
Two summers ago Whitmore snatched a ten year old Saskatchewan boy and subjected him to unthinkable physical, sexual and emotional abuse in an abandoned, filthy farmhouse not far from the boy's home.
Whitmore was convicted in Ontario in 1993 of abduction and sexual offences involving four boys, he served sixteen months for that one. Within days after his release, he took an eight-year-old girl...he received a 56-month sentence for a sex offence involving her.
Not long after that, after bouncing around from province to province and violating a probation order along the way, Whitmore ended up in Saskatchewan with one child in tow, and we know the rest of the story (which incidently has now been written by criminal justice reporter Mike McIntyre - he'll be on Gormley Friday to discuss his new book.)
Two men...15 children victimized (that we know of)...and the blame for destroying of at least five of these kids lives lays squarely at the feet of the bureaucrats who set these men free to prey upon our children. Over and over and over again.
Today this type of story is hitting close to home as Harold David Smeltzer was granted day parole yesterday to be served at a halfway house in Regina. Smeltzer has been serving a life sentence for the murder and rapes of young Calgary girls in the early 1980's. First he kidnapped 5-year old Kimmie Thompson, taking her back to his mom's house and stripping her out of her snowsuit so he could "kiss her" as she cried out for her mom. Smeltzer got scared, but instead of letting Kimmie go, he poured her a drink of water, drew a bath and placed her in the tub, holding her head under the water until she died. Then, he put her dead body in a garbage bag and stuffed it in a can in the alley. Smeltzer never came forward and turned himself in, instead he went on a sex spree and was busted after raping two elementary school girls at knife-point, five months after killing Kimmie.
Within a matter of days Harvey Smeltzer will be standing behind us at the grocery store, walking through our parks or sitting beside us in the restaurant. The same Harvey Smeltzer who admitted yesterday - not a year ago or ten years ago - but yesterday, when asked if he considers himself a pedophile - "Yes I do. I'm attracted to little girls." The same Harvey Smeltzer who admitted to having to fight his urges after watching five whole minutes of 'Degrassi Junior High' on television.
Don't panic though, Smeltzer's got a plan to stay straight. "When I leave the institution, I plan my day and the first thing I tell myself is 'I am a sex offender, I am a pedophile.' Basically, that's how I prepare my day." Oh, well then, thank God for that rock-solid strategy.
Rock-solid enough, I guess, for parole board officials to agree with him that "although he is a pedophile and violent sexual offender, he poses no risk to children".
Can someone please explain how that one works?
I'm so tired of the rights and freedoms of these freaks taking priority over the safety of our kids. Why should my or your daughter or son be the next victim ? Why are lawmakers, decision-makers and law enforcement officers gambling with our children? And why are we allowing them to?
As so many callers put it on JGL this morning - no more 'strikes', no more chances. One child-sex offence and your done, locked up for good.
Don't we owe at least that to our kids, nevermind to the kids who have already been let down? What about Kimmie Thompson, who was simply never given the chance to feel anything?
Tammy Robert is the Executive Producer of 'The John Gormley Live Show' - listen live every weekday morning from 8.30am - 12.30pm on NewsTalk 650 or NewsTalk 980.
Comments
Demand a new photo of this Smetzler!!
Please get your station to demand a new photo of this criminal!!
We cant refer to a 1982 photo to protect ourselves!!!
Please Tammy!!! Look forward to seeing it posted on here!
I have sent a message or two
I have sent a message or two with some pretty harsh feelings that were not uploaded on these comment sites. However I feel that I do need to say something without worry of "politically correct". My wife and I work daily to keep the lifestyle we have. Our daughter is at a babysitter and bussed to school. She is a beautiful 7 year old. How is it possible to guarantee her absolute saftey from these animals if I am not there 24/7. The least thing I would like in our society is to have these type of insane whatevers gone. Whether locked up forever or whatever, I would like my daughter to go to school, play in a playground, ride her bike, etc without the threat of this animal preying on her innocence. Someone explain to me his rights versus anyone else who lives here to live in a safe environment. As far as I am concerned, an innocent child should be given preference, and the predetor, none!
Its times like this
that I am very happy to make my home out in the country.
I will sit on my front step in a rocking chair and use the tools at hand to defend my family my self and my property.
And for the 65% of you that are proud to be "progressives".... A few more days like the last few where these guys are released with no restrictions (with your blessing no less) and you are sure to get what is coming to you based on your decisions,... just don't come whining to me when it its your family; based on events like this I have no sympathy for you anymore.
Seriously...
Isn't the definition of rehabilitation to put repeat offenders BACK into situations where they while be tempted repeat again? Maybe one of these winners can just serve some community service at a daycare of something?(Excuse the dramatic exaggeration)
Obviously any thinking person would not agree with my previous statements... so why do we do this? We all, I hope, can verbally agree that those are bad ideas, but do our actions here line up with our words? How far does this crap go?
Pedophiles
I agree 100% with your blog Tammy. Sex offenders such as Peter Whitmore cannot be rehabilitated. I remember hearing about his trial and how he was trying to bargain for a guilty plea......specifically that he would plead guilty if he wasnt put on a dangerous offenders list as a pedophile.
We all know (well most of us do......) that pedophiles and sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated. It is just something in them that makes them that way, and you cant change the nature of these people and thier preferences. The best thing that our judicial system can do is keep these people in jail and away from our innocent kids.
Which brings up our screwed up justice system.....they let these offenders out of jail so they can reoffend. Have they not realised that most of these sex offenders are wonderful con artists? Come on!!! They have to be good con artists to lure people out and victimize them!! Yet....if the pedophile acts rehabilitated, and jumps through all the hoops that they are told to....they get a "get out of jail" free card, and get access to a smorgas board of new victims. Where is the justice with our justice system?
Sorry for the rant Tammy, but our justice system needs to be revamped and there needs to be tougher sentences for those people that harm children!!
What is going on with our
What is going on with our justice system? A life sentence should mean a life sentence. In Canadian law, a life sentenc is considered only 25-years. Write to your local MP to get the creep out of our city. If you own a business and he comes in, don't serve him.
"The Time For Change is Now!!!"
Tammy, I'm in complete agreement with you. I've been to the website http://www.kimmieslaw.com/
and believe every citizen of Canada should also. In your capacity at 980 NewsTalk Radio, you have
the ability to have your voice heard by a much larger audience than someone outside of the media.
Can you please encourage everyone to visit this website, and to then step up to the plate in writing
their M.P.'s, and MLA's, and City Councilors, and their Mayors....and the Justice Ministers both
Provincially and Federally, and the Prime Minister of our Country. Change will not come from our
individual silence.
Our Canadian Justice System is broken, and it has been for quite some time. If we the People do
not step forward and let our voices be heard, in mass, then change will not come and the system
will remain broken allowing a "catch & release" program for violent sexual offenders and others to
enter you neighborhoods, and your lives. If we, the People, do nothing...then we can expect
nothing to happen and nothing to change...with only ourselves to blame.
This is in response to " Its
This is in response to " Its times like this " are you kidding me to blame the people who voted for Progrssives for these animals being released is absolutely ridiculous,,please do respond with the name of a government who has done anything to make sure that these animals stay behind bars,,certainly not anyone other than the Progressives. Oh and by the way its times like these that i to am happy that you live in the country, please do stay there you are not welcome in my city with that kind of attitude,,having said that these animals need to stay behind bars,,as far as im concerned that governing party that we currently have is and will be the only party that will do anything to animals where they belong,,and yes more can and should be done,,P.S. thanks for staying out of my city
Garth: "please do respond
Garth: "please do respond with the name of a government who has done anything to make sure that these animals stay behind bars"
Truth is I can't.... but I can name 3 opposition parties that oppose any measure,... any suggestion that we increase penalties... put people in jail or OMG propose the death penalty for REPEAT (over and over and over again) violent offenders. Did you hear the outcry when the current administration decided not to contest the death penalty law in another country when a violent offender was convicted??
Here is one more good example of "progressives" that will have nothing to do with improving the laws:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081106/opposition_...
It is after all a terrible thing that we might protect the community by placing offenders outside the confines of our neighborhoods.
So Garth, some day I hope I can answer your question with a positive affirmation that someone has done something to protect your family and mine. I just hope it is before your kids or mine fall prey to the "fine upstanding citizens that our justice system has fixed"... like this one.
PERVERTS ARE ALWAYS GIVEN MORE RIGHTS THAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN!
This taken directly from http://www.police.saskatoon.sk.ca/index.php?page_id=3&loc=insideourservi...
"The ViCLAS/HRO Unit also monitors about 90 sex offenders who are registered in Saskatoon under the Sex Offender Registry. After ensuring they are registered, twice a year their residences are checked to insure they are actually living in the residences they have indicated. The coordinator on average monitors twelve high risk offenders to insure they are following conditions of their release. Presently 21 High Risk Offenders are being monitored. Approximately 235 ViCLAS submissions per year are forwarded to Regina."
YET, here in Saskatoon, a known REPEAT sex offender of children (known to the police - but HAS NEVER, EVER, YET BEEN mentioned to the PUBLIC) was released and living amoung an area where a high number of already high risk children live. By be allowed to live in the area, he was breeching his conditions and THE PUBLIC WAS NEVER ADVISED OF HIS RELEASE OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES WERE NEVER ADVISED THAT IS WAS LIVING IN THE CITY, LET ALONE WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD! There was absolutely NO Photograph or New Release - absolutely nothing was suggested by police. He was allowed to live in a situation whereby there are numerous "rooms" for rent, many of which are homes to young children!
Within less than one month, he was already be-friending and sexually abusing and threatening these children - and eventually worked his way through abusing several surrounding blocks of very young children - throughout the summer months!
Little more can be discussed at this point, because he was "apparently" taken into custody, and released into yet a different area of the city, while awaiting his court date.
SO OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM - POLICE INCLUDED - HAVE GIVEN THE SEX OFFENDER the benefit of the doubt - putting yet more children and likely women at high risk!
As stated above - 90 Sex Offenders living within SASKATOON and we very seldom are advised of who and where they are living!
THE LAW-ABIDING GENERAL PUBLIC HAS NO RIGHTS - BUT THE paternalism throughout society and our Old-Boy's CLub Justice System ARE COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SICK SOCIETY, RESULTING BY CHILDREN AND WOMEN BEING REPETITIVELY SUBJECTED TO SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHER ABUSE FROM THESE PATERNALISTIC SOCIETY! Every single one of them SHOULD GET THE ELECTRIC CHAIR, ALONGSIDE ALL THE PEDOPHILES AND SEX-OFFENDERS - WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS!
They deserve no heads up - just as they treat the general public with their lack of public warnings!
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