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| Rehtaeh and her mother |
The painful and complex case arising from the death of the Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons will be in court today (Friday, August 15, 2013). It will unfold in the small community of Cole Harbour where all the events related to Ms Parsons sad last few months apparently occurred. Two young men face charges of making and distributing child pornography related to the death of the teen. The evidence is digital pictures of Ms Parsons, who because she was 16 at the time, is specified at the child. It is, as lawyers are saying, a somewhat unusual situation for such charges to be laid. At the same time, the harassment faced by the girl, and her subsequent attempt at suicide, has created a kind of national wound. Rehtaeh was taken off life support a few days after she tried to kill herself. Locally, the atmosphere is raw. Complicating the issue are accounts from some people who were present at a party where the pictures were taken. They are not favorable to the teen. And yet her subsequent suffering seems heart-rending. It is easy to imagine that the defense may raise questions as to just what offense is being tried. CBC
