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ARSON IS suspected.as being the cause for a Friday morning fire that destroyed St. Jotin's Anglican Church on 13th Street:
-in North. Vancouver. The fire, reported to North Van City crews at 5 a.m. by a passing motorist, quickly’ destroyed the floor
und-the roof of the buiiding. Firefighters, wha were on the scene of the two-alarm blaze within (hree minutes of the alarm,
narrowly escaped injucy from falling debris on several occasions but nene were injured beyond incidents of smoke inhalation

and exhaustion. Investigation into the cause of the fire, by fire officials and

ca

NEWS photor Terry Peters

THE SENTENCING

OF fan Bleasdale on

16

sexuaHly-related counts was adjourned for the se-
cond time in West Vancouver provincial court

Friday.

Judge R.D. Grandison
ordered the sentencing of
Bleasdale, which began with
a full-day of testimony on
January 20, be continued
Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

In a Surprise move.
Bleasdale read a prepared
statement to the court just
prior to adjournment saying
“everyone involved is in my
prayers each night’ with
prison proving to be a ‘‘car-
ing and growing  experi-
ence.”

He said under threats of
violence, he began going to
church while in Oakaila: "A
closer walk with God is the
best way to describe my life
in jail."”

Bleasdale the

also told

esa Spices

va

By JOANNE MacDONALD
and MARK HAMILTON

court he has agreed to par-
Hicipate on a radio talk show
with Sexual Assault Recov-
ery Anonymous (SARA) and
has found the writing of bis
book, ‘‘Power through
Pain’ to be therapeutic.

Throughout bis delivery,
Bleasdale took repeated
drinks of water and halted
several Limes 10 compase
himself,

The court also heard tes-
timony from a mother of
ene of the victims, as weil as
from Crown Prosecutor
Ellen Gerber who related the
contents of letters obtained

challenge as they saw fit.

from a victim, the victiny’s
high school counsellor, a
victim's Cather, plus sential
health officials.

Defence lawyer Don
Jabour objected to the let-
ters — Which detailed the
after-effects of the assaults
on the victims — terming
them ‘‘second hand reports”
and saying he was not in-
formed the leuers would be
used as evidence before Fri-
day’s court date.

Judge Grandison told
Jabour he felt all submis-
sions should be heard by the
court, with the Crown and
the defence permitted to

Defence witness Lucille
Giles. a psychologist who
examined Bleasdale in three
different sessions totalling
eight hours, told the court
Bleasdale saw no connection
between his adult sexual en-

the RCMP crime lab, was continuing to deadline.

counters and the encounters
with the children involved in
his offences, and only tater
came to realize the children
were Victims,

In describing her assess-
ment of Bleasdale, Giles said
she feels the only chance
Bleasdale has for rehabilita-
tion is to be enrolled in a
communi’. rehabilitation
program, instead of
undergoing lone term = im-
prisomnent.

In her summation, Gerber
argued for a sentence rang-
ing from seven to $2 years,
comprising !8-month to
three-vear sentences for each
of the offenses, with all to
be served consecutively.

Defense counsel Don
Jabour submited ihe case
would be better dealt with if

See page 12