Re: ìTrial underway in Sundre assault caseî by Dan Singleton, Jan. 10.C. S. Lewis once wrote: ìI would not condemn a dog on the basis of what I read in the newspapers.î Wise man. The Gazette just ran a story on a trial underway for a Sundre assault case. This trial, which is only half over, has so far involved over four hours of examination, cross-examination, and discussion on questions of admissibility. In an attempt to achieve brevity, all this was distilled into a story that takes less than a minute to read. Needless to say, such a truncated version leaves much to be desired.As the matter is still before the court, to be fair to all sides in such a situation, the story ñ if it ran at all ñ should simply have stated, ìThe first very lengthy half of the trial of a Sundre man charged with assaulting his former girlfriend took place Jan. 4. The Crown called five witnesses, three of whom were cross-examined by the defence. As an inadequate time was set for the trial, forcing it to be broken up, the judge asked that in order to avoid any further fragmentation, a full day be set aside for the remainder as that much time will clearly be needed. None of the defence witnesses have yet had the opportunity to testify.îSelective reporting on a complex matter is hurtful to the persons involved who must live and work in the same small community.Anne MacklinEagle Valley
