A Canadian judge who asked a woman why she couldn\u2019t keep her knees together after she alleged sexual assault in a trial has said that he is resigning from the bench. \u00a0Justice Robin Camp said in a statement released by his lawyer that he will resign effective from today.<\/p>\n
Court transcripts from the 2014 trial in Calgary show that Camp, who was a provincial court judge at the time, called the complainant \u2018the accused\u2019 numerous times and told her \u2018pain and sex sometimes go together.\u2019<\/p>\n
Camp added that he\u2019s sorry for the hurt he has caused.<\/p>\n
The council\u2019s decision supported a recommendation by a disciplinary panel that reviewed the original sexual assault trial of Alexander Wagar.<\/p>\n
Camp found Wagar not guilty, but the Appeal Court ordered a new trial. Last month, Wager was acquitted again.<\/p>\n
The council said that Canadians expect their judges to know the law, have empathy and to recognize and question any past personal attitudes that might prevent them from acting fairly.<\/p>\n
Four of the council\u2019s 23 members did not support the decision, saying they agreed that Camp\u2019s comments amounted to judicial misconduct, but were in favor of recommending a sanction short of removal.<\/p>\n
Camp\u2019s lawyer, Frank Addario, had previously argued that his client should be allowed to keep his current job as a federal court judge.<\/p>\n
\u2018Removal is not necessary to preserve public confidence in this case. Justice Camp\u2019s misconduct was the product of ignorance, not animus. He has worked hard to correct his knowledge deficit,\u2019 Addario wrote in a rebuttal submission to the judicial council.<\/p>\n
By:\u00a0Richard Hartley-Parkinson<\/p>\n
Source: \u00a0metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"