David William Ramsay

David William Ramsay (1943–2008) was a Canadian lawyer and judge notorious for being sent to prison for sexual assault on minors, some of whom appeared before him in court.

Ramsey was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1943 and moved to Port Alberni, British Columbia, with his family after the war. He received a degree in Education from the University of Victoria in 1964 and taught elementary school for two years. He then returned to the University of Victoria from which he received a law degree in 1971. He articled under the late Harold Bogle, QC, in Prince George, British Columbia, following which he worked for a year at the firm of Phelps & Voyer in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

In 1973, he was hired by the British Columbia Legal Aid Society and returned to Prince George to open its first legal aid office. In 1975, he returned to private practice. He was appointed to the Provincial Court in 1991. He was married and had four children.[1]

Crime and prosecution

During his tenure as judge, Ramsay on multiple occasions picked up aboriginal girls as young as twelve and sexually assaulted them. He insisted on not using a condom, and on one occasion, when the girl resisted, he became enraged and smashed her head against the dashboard of his car.[2] Several of these young women appeared before him in court.[3]

A special prosecutor, Dennis Murray, Q.C., was appointed to investigate the charges. Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of the British Columbia Supreme Court was appointed as judge.[4]

Ramsay was indicted in August 2002.[5] Six weeks later, in September 2002, he attempted suicide.[1] On May 3, 2003, he pleaded guilty to five of the ten charges in the indictment; the other charges were stayed.[6]

He was convicted of one count of breach of trust, one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. In June 2004, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.[3][7]

Three years into his sentence, Ramsay applied unsuccessfully for day parole in 2007 on the grounds that he had terminal cancer.[7] He died in Dorchester Penitentiary on January 19, 2008.[8]

References
  1. Lloyd Duhaime. "David William Ramsay, BC". Duhaime.org. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  2. "Former B.C. judge admits to beating, sexually abusing teens | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  3. "CanLII – 2004 BCSC 756 (CanLII)". Canlii.org. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  4. "B.C. judge throws the book at sex-criminal colleague". Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  5. R. V. Ramsay, 13 BCAC 176.
  6. "Former B.C. judge pleads guilty to sex offences". CBC. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  7. "Former B.C. judge denied parole". Cbc.ca. September 12, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  8. "Former judge David Ramsay dies in jail". Archived from the original on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
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