4 — Wednesday, June 17, 1998 — North Shore News Guess trial branded ‘a circus’ From suge 1 Guess, a juror in the 1995 murder trial of Ron and Jim Dosanjh, is accused of attempting to persuade her colleagues to acquit Peter Gill and five others charged in the 1994 shooting deaths. The jury must decide if she and Gil! were having an affair during the trial. Guess was at her poised and confident best with reporters outside the court- room, even though she faces a 10-year jail term. “I had a wonderful sleep last night,” she declared. “I always do.” At stake is not only Guess" fate, but an appeal of four of the six acquittals in the Dosanjh case: if she is found guilty, the Crown will argue thac the original verdict was tainted and a new trial should be granted. But critics agree with Ritchie that Guess* prosecution is one of the weaker and shoddier exhibi- tions of justice in revent years. “It’s been a circus,” said Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd. “It has no bearing on the justice system.” As with virtually every- thing else in Guess’ six-week trial, the final presentations were conducted in a carnival- type atmosphere, Guess appeared on a Vancouver radio station on June 15 to discuss her wardrobe and her emotional state. She then arrived at B.C. Supreme Court wearing her trademark sunglasses, a short leopard print skirt and jacket; her 13-year-old son, Adam, who has occasionally acted as her spokesman, was dressed in a metallic green shirt and silver pants. Before a packed court- room, Ritchie talked at length. about the media attention’ = the trial has received, and pleaded with the jury to “stick to the evi- dence and the manner in which it was presented.” Guess first attracted police attention -one week after Gill’s acquittal, when she was seen dancing with him in a nightclub. Vancouver RCMP learned that she had told several peo- ple that she had been involved in a sexual relation- ship with Gill, then 30, dur- ing the trial, After a bricf investigation in which her - home and: chat of her sister was .wiretapped, she was arrested in December of 1995 and charged with wilful obstruction of justice and breach of trust. In preliminary proceed- ings last year, Guess acknow!l- edged that she had an affair with Gill, but only after the DES TINATION NORTH SHORE 1550 MARINE DR.. N.VAN. 984.4394 °'984-7194: | trial was over. She rational- ized her attraction by stating to Mr. Justice Raymond Paris that after six months of jury duty, “even the judge started looking good.” Her own trial began on May 11, and consisted of tes- timony trom several deputy sherifis and a former court clerk; Gill’s diary which sevealed he knew Guess was interested in him during his trial; and testimony from jurors, friends and relatives. Her sister Vanessa Bryan and friends Maria Matscn, Cynthia Hayes and Jane Metcalf swore that Guess contided in them that she was having an affair during Gill's trial. Bryan and Hayes allegedly persuaded her to tell the jury she wanted to be dropped, but Bryan said Gill wanted Guess to stay on. Hayes also testified chat she warned Guess that her affair could be discovered. “She said, ‘No, no, it’s him that’s going to get in trouble, not me.” ” On May 21, former Dosanjh trial juror Deirdre Fitz-Gibbons made court history by discussing deliber- ations fram the witness stand. “Gillian came into the jury room and aanounced to everybody that the prosecu- tion had blown it,” she recalled. “She was deter- mined (the accused) were all not guilty.” There has never been a Canadian trial where jurors were required to testi- fy about their deliberations. Other witnesses reported noticing Guess making eye contact with Gill. The jury also heard that courtroom staff attending the Dosanjh trial referred to Guess as the Dragon Lady because she wore see-through blouses and mini-skirts, and exhibit- ed “seductive” body lan- guage towards Gill. Defence lawyer Ritchie did not mention that his client is largely responsible for the media hype he wants jurors to ignore. Guess earned headlines early on by gasping theatrically during the testimony of witnesses, for taking, her pet dog George to court, and for pos- ing for news photogrzphers in a scemingly endless variety of short skirts and blouses. She has even hosted two camera crews from Germany, who travelled to her North Vancouver home to interview her. The U.S. television news tabloid Hard Copy is said to be preparing a profile on her. But she has earned the most notoriety for launching a website revealing her views on the Dosanjh trial and her legal predicament. In it, she describes Gill as “a bright, athletic, humor- ous, caring individual who seems to be sincerely eager to get his life on track after falsely being accused of a heinous crime.” She describes herself as “a pawn” in an RCMP scheme “to get a new trial for (the Dosanjh murders).” The website has carned her thousands of admirers from around the world, including a former Vancouver RCMP officer who calls himself “Mike” and expressed his disgust at the circumstantial evidence against her in a May 15 <- mail. Adulation — inciudes unanimous praise for her looks, proposals of marriage, and the consensus that this is not an issue of obstruction of justice but rather a violation City of North Vancouver 141 West 14th Street Phone: 983-7316 of her privacy. Ritchie admitted that “falling in love may not have Been the brightest thing to do,” but said this is not a eiminal offence. he accused the Crown of spending five weeks pointing to “petty” issues such as Guess’ physical appearance. He remarked that while some of the evidence the Crown presented was interesting, it gocs “nowhere near” proving obstruction of justice. Ritchie warned jurors not te fall into what he calls “the ‘appearance of justice’ trap (Guess"} behavior reflects poorly on the appearance of justice, bur she is not charged with wilfully obstructing the appearance of justice.” Simon Fraser University criminology professor Boyd District of North Vancouver 355 West Queens Road = ""* Phone: 990-2488 calls the Guess case “a carni- val sideshow of sex and allc- gations. The prosecution has - mainly becn a ‘he said/she said’ spectacle. It’s highly unusual that a juror would sleep with someone on crial, so the chances of this hap- pening again are remote.” Boyd did not comment on a key question that has beer: plaguing legal eagles since the trial began: if Guess was such an inappropriate juror, why was she not removed from tne Dosanjh murder trial in 1995: Ritchie continued — his closing arguments on June 16, a fell day longer than anticipated. If he wraps in the morning, the Crown will pre- sent its remarks in the after- noon; if not, it will present its closing arguments today. GILLIAN Guess ... “had a wonderful sleep fast Cistrict of West Vancouver 750 17th Street Phone: 925-7632 Property Taxes Due Friday, July 3, 1998 — Notice of the current real property tax levies have now bee. mailed. Any property owner who has not received a tax statement should inimediately contact their municipal tax office. All owners are responsible for payment of the 1998 taxes regardless of whether or not a tax notice is seceived. New owners shouid ensure taxes are paid by themselves or the previous owner. If there is any doubt, check with your municipality. PAY Taxes may be paid at your Municipal Hall and also at most financiai institutions. Post-dated cheques received in our offices prior to July 3, 1998 are acceptable and will be processed by the bank on the date that you have indicated. Taxpayers are encouraged to deliver or mail payments as soon as possible to ensure payment is received on time. If a cheque is returned by your bank, the payment will not be considered received and a $20 returned cheque charge will be _ tevied in the District of North Vancouver, and a $15 charge in the City of North Vancouver and the District of West Vancouver, Application for the Provincial Home Owner Grant may be made whether or not the current taxes are paid. It is to your advantage to submit the “application” before the tax renalty date of July 3, 1998 to avoid penalty additions on the grant amount. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE HOME OWNER GRANT APPLICATION MUST BE COMPLETED IN FULL FOR EACH AND EVERY YEAR IN WHICH YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE GRANT. PENALTIES A 5% penalty will be added to the current taxes unpaid after Friday, July 3, 1998. A further 5% penalty will be added to the current taxes remaining unpaid after September 2, 1998. A home owner 60 yaars or over, a widow or a widower, of persons with disabilities as defined in the Disability Senefits Pregrams Act, inay be able to defer their taxes on their residence through a program whereby the Provincial Goverment makes payment on their behalf. Formis or further information may be obtained through your municipal tax office. omy 20tn ANNU AW, AL IN CLEA re) IR: