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News Release - Dec. 19, 1996. RE: The Vanscoy case and the plea bargain
involving a young offender.
For Immediate Release
December 19, 1996 -- St. Catharines, Ontario
Mother of dead 14-year-old girl demands:
Why is the accused killer being tried as a young offender?
Karen Vanscoy is alarmed that the Ontario Attorney General appears to be
rushing through a plea bargain with the 17-year-old accused of shooting
and killing her 14-year-old daughter. Jasmine Vanscoy was shot in the head
and killed allegedly by a 17-year-old acquaintance, September 24, 1996.
On November 20, her mother was told a deal had been struck and that the
killer would be sentenced to 2 years in a youth facility. In response to
her protest, the case was reviewed by another Crown and the results were
distressing: "I learned only this afternoon (Thursday, December 19)
that they will proceed with the plea bargain tomorrow at 10 a.m. My daughter
is dead. It is simply unspeakable. If there are good reasons for these decisions,
why haven't they told us?"
According to published reports, the accused, who cannot be named under the
Young Offenders Act, was an acquaintance of Mrs. Vanscoy's daughter. He
allegedly used a handgun he stole from his stepfather to shoot Jasmine in
the head at close range. The handgun was eventually traced to a gun shop
robbery.
Victims' rights advocate Priscilla de Villiers of CAVEAT says: "This
is yet another case of deals being made behind closed doors. Why are the
victims and the public not being kept informed? Why is this case not being
tried in adult court? Why have we not heard the basis of the transfer hearing
result? The Federal Government's revisions to the Young Offenders Act were
supposed to ensure that youths charged with serious violent offenses are
tried as adults unless there is a good reason why they should be tried as
a young offender. But, the province is responsible for administering the
law and is ultimately accountable for its application. The victims have
not been made aware of the reason for the transfer. In being tried as a
young offender, the accused, if convicted, escapes the adult consequences
of killing a young girl and also avoids the new mandatory 4-year sentence
for firearms offenses."
The specifics of the plea bargain are also cause for concern. "Why
has the charge been reduced to manslaughter? Why was a plea bargain struck?
There is little in the circumstances of the case that provides an explanation.
If there are good reasons, let us hear them. We need transparency and accountability
in the justice system if we are to restore public confidence."
Contact: Priscilla de Villiers 905-632-1733
Karen Vanscoy 905-935-9783
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