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NEWS photo by Lisa King
Bend it like Bikram
YOGA enthusiasts stretch their stuff as the sun sets behind them outside the West Vancouver Community Centre Aug. 12. The centre is offering free outdoor yoga sessions every Thursday at 7:15 p.m. until the end of August. For more information, call 604-925-7270.
NV man sues for jail abuse Benjamin Alldritt
balldritt@nsnews.com
A North Vancouver man is filing a class action lawsuit against a former prison guard and the provincial government, claiming the guard repeatedly sexually assaulted him in the early 1980s. The plaintiff is identified only as “E.D.L.” in the B.C. Supreme Court notice of claim, but the documents name the defendant as Roderick David MacDougall, who worked as a corrections officer at several facilities in B.C. from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, including the Lower Mainland Correctional Centre in Burnaby, known as Oakalla. In 2000, MacDougall was convicted of nine counts of indecent and sexual assault on five prisoners and he served four years in prison for his crimes. MacDougall preyed mostly on teenage male prisoners, many of whom had been incarcerated for the first time. At Oakalla, MacDougall was a special services officer responsible for escorting prisoners around the building, liaising with police and parole officers and organizing treatment and counselling programs. He coerced his victims into a variety of sexual acts,
Class action targets guard for 20 years of sexual assault on young inmates
promising them an easier time in prison if they complied while also threatening them with violence and “hard time” if they refused his demands. Many of his victims went on to become career criminals with a range of psychological problems. On appeal, MacDougall’s lawyers argued that the former guard was a gay man who had grown up in an environment with little or no tolerance for homosexuality. Unable to come to terms with his sexual orientation, they said, MacDougall directed his deep-seated frustrations towards the young men in his custody. Nine former inmates have already successfully sued MacDougall and the provincial government, with awards varying from $10,000 to $60,000. If E.D.L.’s suit also succeeds, the resulting judgment would apply to any other former prisoners victimized by MacDougall. E.D.L. was in his late teens in 1980 and 1981 when he was imprisoned at Oakalla. He claims that MacDougall’s alleged abuse lead to violent behaviour, a range of psychological, emotional and sexual problems,
drug and alcohol habits and an inability to complete his education or hold down a job. Furthermore, the suit contends that the provincial government breached its duty of care by failing to apprehend MacDougall during two decades of criminal activity at several different facilities. “Surely this had to have come to the attention of social workers, other guards, the chaplain and maybe even the respective wardens,” said North Vancouver lawyer Jim Poyner in a written release. “What did they do about it?” “What bothers me about all of this, precipitating the class-action against the government, is that more than 100 other victims of MacDougall had been identified by the date of a court case in 2006,” Poyner wrote. “Why did the government not conduct a thorough review and make sure that all of the victims were found, interviewed and helped in whatever fashion appeared to be best suited to each individual case?” No formal response from MacDougall or the province has yet been filed with the court. Poyner has a long track record of class actions. He has represented plaintiffs who attended residential schools and the Woodlands School. He has also taken on airlines for allegedly charging spurious taxes and the province’s school districts for charging fees he argued are illegal.
Restaurant closure leaves staff high and dry Jane Seyd
jseyd@nsnews.com
THE abrupt demise of a North Vancouver restaurant has left more than local foodies in the lurch. Former employees of the Moustache Café say they’re owed money for wages and tips that they’re afraid they won’t see anytime soon — despite previous assurances from the café’s owner. “I feel completely betrayed,” said Neisha Coupey, 20, who worked as a server at the upscale See Staff page 5