Victims like Wayne Belleville continue to be victimized, not only by the perpetrators but by the “injustice” system itself.
Another delay in the Ronald Teneycke case is once again proof that victims are not a priority in Canada. The priority strictly lies with due process and the all-encompassing rights of the accused, regardless of their appalling criminal past.
Teneycke, who needs no introduction, has undergone a psychiatric assessment and the report was supposed to be presented last week. But his lawyer, Michael Welsh, was a no-show, so it had to be adjourned. He was also a no-show this week for the scheduled arraignment. (If we were the judge in this case, we would set a firm date and proceed with or without the defence. You don’t need a lawyer to read the report.)
Belleville is convinced that his attacker was totally sane at the time he was shot in the back on McKinney Road last summer. And with each delay in court proceedings, he is being victimized all over again.
Needless to say, the process has been very frustrating for Belleville, who has attended several proceedings with little or no satisfaction to date. Frankly, he’s tired of seeing the court bend over backwards to accommodate Teneycke’s rights, which seem to supersede anyone else’s right now.
Every time the accused is granted a delay or given a concession, the victimization starts again. It also continues to whittle away any remaining faith people have in the system.
We hate to use this clichéd argument, but you have to wonder how quickly court proceedings would move along if the victims were judges, police officers, lawyers, politicians or lawmakers.
Belleville could have died on that lonely road. In fact, he thought he was going to, and believes that discharging a firearm with the intent to harm is not the appropriate charge in this case.
The circumstances were truly a living nightmare that he still can’t shake. Hopefully, he will finally be able to tell his story in front of a judge or jury (if it goes that far).
It’s time that victims of crime are given every opportunity to balance the scales of justice.
