Canadian judge asks rape complainant why she didn’t keep her knees together
Justice Camp, a 65-year-old married father of three, has become an emblem of a justice system that critics say is out of touch on sexual-assault law and discourages victims from reporting.
A panel set up by the judicial council recommended a month ago that he be removed from the bench after he asked the complainant in a 2014 sex-assault trial, a homeless teenager, why she did not keep her knees together.
That comment, and several others in which he took issue with the victim, the law of sexual assault and the female prosecutor, came to light last year, when the Alberta Court of Appeal threw out the acquittal in the case, saying Justice Camp relied on myths and stereotypes about sex-assault victims. After public complaints to the Canadian Judicial Council, the Federal Court removed Justice Camp from hearing cases. (Justice Camp was a member of the Alberta Provincial Court during the trial of 19-year-old Alexander Wagar, but the Conservative government of Stephen Harper later promoted him to the Federal Court.)