Thursday, September 24, 2009

Dad murders 6-year-old son, his mom, mom's parents while out on bail; authorities call for better "coordination" (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

British Columbia authorities are trying to figure out how dad PETER LEE was able to slaughter his 6-year-old son, his son's mother, and the mother's parents two years ago. Part of the answer seems clear, based on the facts as laid out in the article below: Dad was out on bail for previous domestic violence charges. So as they say in the police shows, he had motive and opportunity.

BC officials are pushing for efforts to better "coordinate" the "child welfare system and criminal justice systems." I don't think that would make much of a difference, though it's pretty rhetoric. Based on the cases I find and post here at Dastardly Dads, I would start taking the criminal justice approach much more seriously. Bail for abusers is a very big risk--just as it is for gang members and organized crime. The chances of retaliation against those who prosecute is just too great. Keep the abusers locked up, and maybe victims won't be afraid to prosecute. And maybe they'll stay alive, too.

Here's a Florida case where Dad was able to kill Mom because he was not kept in jail:
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2009/09/dad-denied-bail-for-killing-mother-of.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jStDgy65cMaeG14f9uq6rxsT88hQ

Report recommends domestic violence courts following BC boy's murder by father
(CP) – 9 hours ago

VICTORIA, B.C. — B.C.'s independent children's representative is calling on the provincial government to take action on domestic abuse following the death of six-year-old Christian Lee, who was stabbed to death by his father during a murderous rampage two years ago.

Peter Lee also slaughtered Christian's mother and her parents before killing himself in the family's upscale home in Oak Bay, near Victoria.

Peter Lee was on bail facing domestic violence allegations when he went on his murderous rampage in 2007.

In a report released Thursday, Children's Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said the necessary components to protect children like Christian are not in place.

"This investigation found that the systems of support for children and families exposed to domestic violence were not adequate to protect Christian and his family," said the report.

"There was generally no communication or co-ordination between child welfare and criminal justice systems."

Turpel-Lafond recommended a special justice initiative that focuses on the safety of children and youth in domestic violence situations, as well as dedicated domestic violence courts.

She said a co-ordinated system linking the criminal, child welfare and family justice systems could have made a difference in the Lee tragedy.

"There was no system in place so that all got a complete or fuller picture for adequate decision making," the children's representative said at a news conference following the release of her report.

Turpel-Lafond said Christian's mom, Sunny, received conflicting advice from three police departments, a social worker and her family lawyer on what she should be doing to protect her son and herself from her husband.

"The responsibility of her safety was left on the shoulders of one person, and that's Christian's mother, Sunny. It illustrates how we don't have in B.C. A co-ordinated domestic response system in place."

A coroner's inquest was held last year into the murder-suicide.

The inquest heard chilling details of what police found after they were summoned to the family's house in the Victoria suburb of Oak Bay by a hysterical 911 call on Sept. 4, 2007.

Sunny Park was stabbed 49 times and six-year-old Christian Lee was also stabbed repeatedly before the boy's father turned his weapon on himself.

Park's parents, Kum Lea Chun and Moon Kyu Park, were stabbed repeatedly in the chest and back.

The inquest heard that five weeks before the deaths, Sunny Park told police she was afraid her husband would kill her and her family.

The chilling videotaped interview shown at the inquest was taped the day she and Lee were in a car accident that broke her arm and injured her face.

Park told police Lee had crashed the vehicle into a hydro pole on purpose because he was angry at her plans to divorce him.

Lee was charged in the car crash but was released on bail. He was under a court order to stay away from his family after the accident, but the inquest heard that he had violated the bail conditions.