Spy glasses used by accuser in judge sex case
CBC News
Posted: Jul 19, 2012 9:16 PM CT
Last Updated: Jul 19, 2012 9:13 PM CT
Alex Chapman finished testifying on Thursday in a Canadian Judicial Council inquiry regarding Lori Douglas, a Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench justice. (Trevor Hagan/Canadian Press)The man accusing a Manitoba judge and her husband of sexually harassing him has told an inquiry that an accomplice secretly recorded video of his meeting with investigators using a hidden camera fitted inside glasses.
Alexander Chapman, whose complaint against Justice Lori Douglas prompted the Canadian Judicial Council's inquiry into her conduct, testified on Thursday that while he was being interviewed by the council's investigator, he had a friend wear spy glasses to record the conversation.
Inquiry lawyers are in the process of determining if that video footage can be submitted.
Chapman's revelation about the spy glasses came near the end of four days of testimony at the inquiry's hearings, which run this week and next in Winnipeg.
Chapman claims he was the target of a sexual plan by Douglas, an associate chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, and her husband, Winnipeg lawyer Jack King, in 2003.
At the time, King was Chapman's divorce lawyer and Douglas was a lawyer at the same firm where her husband worked.
Directed to sex website
Chapman, who is black, alleges that King solicited him to have sex with Douglas and was directed to Dark Cavern, a website dedicated to sex between black men and white women.
Douglas, an associate chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, has denied sexually harassing Alex Chapman.It was on that website that he found two dozen photographs of Douglas, some depicting her in bondage gear or performing sex acts.
King and Douglas have maintained that King uploaded the photos and approached Chapman without Douglas's knowledge. The couple remain married and have said King was going through a mental breakdown at the time.
King has already admitted to harassing Chapman and pleaded guilty to professional misconduct.
The judicial council's panel of judges and lawyers will decide whether Douglas should be removed from the bench — a rare move in Canada — because of Chapman's complaint and because of the explicit photos of her posted online.
Chapman faced intense scrutiny during his four days of testimony, often defending his reputation and credibility from attacks by Douglas's lawyer, Sheila Block.
Tried to submit evidence about sex life
On Wednesday, Block quoted excerpts from Chapman's day planner to suggest that he had agreed to have sex with a neighbour's wife for money — a claim that Chapman denied.
Then on Thursday morning, Block attempted to submit evidence from Chapman's computer detailing his sex life.
Both Chapman's lawyer, Rocco Galati, and the inquiry's independent counsel objected to the material being submitted. Galati argued that if the evidence was allowed, he should then have the right to probe Douglas's sex life.
After taking some time to decide, the inquiry panel ruled against admitting the material from Chapman's computer.
On Thursday, Galati questioned Chapman in an effort to blunt some of the attacks on Chapman's credibility. Chapman's testimony concluded that afternoon.
The inquiry resumes on Friday with testimony from Michael Sinclair, a former partner with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, the firm where Douglas and King used to work.
Share Tools
Latest Manitoba News Headlines
- Wanna hop with kangaroos? Head to Winnipeg’s zoo!
- Winnipeggers can hop alongside baby kangaroos, thanks to a new exhibit at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. more »
- Window shattered on bus in Winnipeg
- Winnipeg police were investigating Friday the possibility that someone shot at a bus. more »
- Late spring hampers commercial fishing season
- The boats are still at the docks and the nets are dry as commercial fishers on Lake Winnipeg wait for the delayed season to start. more »
- Massive church service to test Bomber’s parking plan
- It's likely the largest practice Investors Group Field will ever see. "One Heart" is a massive church service that will be held there Sunday at noon. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Greg Weston: Senate scandal may be Harper's worst hour
- The widening Senate scandal that the prime minister flippantly tried to dismiss as a 'distraction' just days ago has instead become arguably Stephen Harper's worst hour. more »
- Man ‘lucky to be alive’ after Washington bridge collapse
- A Washington state bridge over a river collapsed last night, dumping two vehicles into the water and sparking a rescue effort by boats and divers who searched the chilly waterway north of Seattle. more »
- Canada ranks 3rd last in paid vacations
- Canada ranks third last among economically advanced countries in the amount of paid vacation time it guarantees its workers, a new U.S. study indicates. more »
- 3D printers give rise to 'desktop manufacturing'
- Customizable objects from plastic dollhouse furniture to medical prosthetics can now be designed and printed out by almost anyone at the press of a button, and is going to lead to an 'explosion of new stuff,' predicts author Chris Anderson. more »
- Skyscraper developers ordered to pay $3 million in 2011
- Winnipeg gets first urban reserve
- Winnipeg senior gets wrong meds, ends up on life support
- Possible explosive device prompts large police presence
- Survivors of day schools share stories of abuse, pain
- 15 cars broken into during crime spree in Winnipeg
- 2 killed in semi crash on Trans-Canada
- City moves to take over, possibly demolish St. Charles Hotel
- Massive church service to test Bomber’s parking plan
