SeX ass

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

A North Vancouver
grocery store manager
found guilty of sexually
assaulting two co-
workers has suffered
ante by having trial
gs reported in
the North Shore News,
according to his lawyer.

“A degree of public humil-
iation has been visited on
him,” said defence lawyer
James Wiliams on “Vednesdoy
in B.C. Supreme Court.

Williams asked that the
judge levy a suspended sen-
tence and no jail time for
Marcel Bouchard, 22. of
North Vancouver.

Mr. Justice Allan Stewart
said he needed to “stare at the
wall” a “decent amount of
time” overnight before sen-
tencing on Thursday.

Twenty-four hours later,

_the judge agreed with the
defence lawyer’s suggestion
and handed Bouchard a sus-
pended sentence and 24
months’ probation.

Bouchard, a produce man-
ager, was convicted last
menth of fondling, groping
and rubbing his genitals
against two women at work at
the Super Valu store at 3030
Lonsdale Ave. The offences
were against young adults and

Safety
group
thrives

A greup formed to
improv: safety along
the Sea to Sky Highway
recently celebrated its
‘third year of operation.

The volunteers who partic-
ipate in the 99 WATCH pro-
gram work to increase safety
awareness and remove danger-
ous drivers from Highway 99

The group was formed i in
Lions Bay in 1994, Similar
groups are now active in
Squamish and Whistler.

The 99 WATCH group
has over 150 active members.
Most have cellular Phones.

In the course of their regu-
lar driving they act as extra
eyes for the police.

Where necessary
appear in court.

The pregrar: has been rec-
ognized by the B.C. Minister
of Highways.

In September the group
received the Ministry of the
Attorney General 1996 Award
of Merit for significant contri-
bution to highway safety.

The program is supported
by Indy driver Ross Bentley,
ICBC, BCAA, police, fire and
ambulance emergency respon-
ders and the five municipalities
focat! along the Sea to Sky
corridor.

West Vancouver tirefighters
have contributed personally to
99 WATCH through their
union, local 1525 of the
IOFE.

they

Suspended
sentence in
B.C. Supreme

took place in November 1994
and between 199] and 1993.

The owners of the Upper
Lonsdale grocery store have
since renamed it Queensdale
Market.

During Wednesday’s court
proceedings, Mr. Justice Alar
Stewart asked the defence
lawyer two times if the two
newspaper articles were rele-
vant. (The News had pub-
lished three articles about the
trial to that date.)

Williams explained that the
News was distributed to every
household on the North
Shore “if you wont this news-
Paper or not.”

Some of: the dozen
Bouchard supporters (family
members and co-workers) in
the court room could be
heard laughing at the defence
lawyer’s comment.

“By virtue of the publica-
tion, there is a detrimental
effect, 1 submit,” said
Williams.

Williams described the sex
assaults as “marginal” and
“misguided attempts at being
humorous.”

Crown lawyer Dawn
Boblin also drew a few chuck-
les from a couple of

Bouchard’s supporters when
she summarized — explicit
details of a sexual assault to
show the type of sentences
levied by ocher judges.

Boblin asked for Bouchard
to he sentenced tc 60 days in
jail.

“The accused’s attitude, in
my submission, has been very
cavalier. He showed no appre-
ciation for the seriousness of
these offences,” said Roblin.

She said the crimes were
“not on the severe end” of sex
crime offences.

Boblin said Bouchard had
an “unrelated old criminal
record.”

The produce manager had
been convicted of two charges
of break, enter and theft in
1982. He received 12
months’ probation for the
burglaries.

He was also fined $600 for
dangerous driving in an unre-
lated incident.

Bouchard’s lawyer referred
to more than 15 letters of
support from family, friends
and Queensdale Market cus-
tomers.

Williams said Bouchard
could lose his job of 11 years
if he were sentenced to jail.

Bouchard, clad in a suit
with nis black hair neatly
combed, stood up and tald
the judge, “I am very, very
sorry for what I’ve done and
what all happened here. I
can’t stress it enough.”

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cougar
killed

AN emaciated cougar
caught in a Lynn
Valiey residenvial areca
last Sunday was
killed the nexr day.

“We do nor relocaie an
animal thar is injured or is
not going to make it,” said
Dennis Pembic, wildlife
control officer “It would
not be humane to drop it
off near the Coquihalla
Highway in the snow and
have it starve ro death.”

Temble estimated the
adult male animal weighed
27 kilograins (60 Ibs.). It
should hase tipped the
scales at well over 45 kilo-
grams (100 ibs.).

The conservation offi-
cer said the cougar was
found in a ravine near
Kilmarnock Crescent.

Pemble said cougars are
found throughout the year
in residential areas preying
on cats and raccoons. He
said one report from the
Lynn Valley area indicated
that a cougar had anempt-

-ed to kill a coyote a week
earlier, The co.ote got
away. “Thar wourdn’r have
happened if the cougar was
healthy,” said Pemble.

—Anna Marie D’Angelo

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