Members of the family of two teenage ladies who have been tortured and murdered by Paul Bernardo are asking the Parole Board of Canada to maintain the infamous killer behind bars of their emotional sufferer affect statements.
A parole listening to is underway for Bernardo, who’s serving an indeterminate life sentence for the kidnapping, sexual assault and homicide of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy within the early Nineties close to St. Catharines, Ont.
Sufferer affect statements delivered thus far embody these from Kristen’s mom Donna French, who spoke of the “mindless and brutal” loss her household endured, and from Leslie’s brother Ryan Mahaffy, who was a younger baby when his sister was murdered.
Bernardo, who was denied parole twice previously, was additionally convicted of manslaughter within the December 1990 dying of his then-wife Karla Homolka’s 15-year-old sister, Tammy.
Tim Danson, a lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy households, stated the parole board initially denied his purchasers the suitable to ship their sufferer affect statements in particular person on the listening to.
After the board reversed its choice, Danson stated the shortage of time to make applicable journey preparations meant solely Leslie Mahaffy’s mom may very well be current, whereas others are delivering their statements remotely.
Bernardo’s parole listening to is happening on the medium-security La Macaza Establishment in Quebec, after his switch there from a maximum-security Ontario jail precipitated public outcry final 12 months.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Nov. 26, 2024.
The Canadian Press
