Judge sex complaint review holds 1st hearing

A man who says he was sexually harassed by a Manitoba judge has asked the Canadian Judicial Council to appoint a lawyer to help him because he has been turned down by several other lawyers.

Alexander Chapman spoke as the council's initial hearing into the conduct of Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench began Saturday morning.

Chapman made a tearful submission to the panel as he asked for legal representation.

"I need someone to protect my rights," he said. "It took a lot of guts to come here today."

The judicial council is holding the weekend hearing to determine the parameters of the inquiry, which could lead to Douglas being removed from the bench.

Chapman of Winnipeg filed the complaint in July 2010, alleging that Douglas's husband, Jack King, tried to pressure him into having sex with Douglas in 2002 and 2003.

Chapman said when he retained King to handle his divorce in 2002, the lawyer showed him sexually explicit photos of Douglas, naked in various forms of bondage, in chains, with sex toys and performing oral sex.

Both King and Douglas were lawyers and partners with a Winnipeg law firm at the time.

Douglas stepped away from her duties as a sitting judge shortly after Chapman's complaint was filed.

Members of the CJC panel on Saturday decided the council will pay for a lawyer to work with Chapman for "limited purposes" to help him with an application for standing at the hearing.

Chapman said many lawyers in Winnipeg "won't stand up against the system because they're afraid."

"There's not a lawyer in this town that will touch this," he said.

The chair of the panel, Alberta Chief Justice Catherine Fraser, told Chapman he could look outside Winnipeg to hire a lawyer.

The hearing began with a focus on procedural matters, including who can take part in the public inquiry, which will determine whether Douglas is fit to continue as a Superior Court judge.

CBC's Marisa Dragani said from the courthouse that a citizen blogger, Clare Pieuk, has asked for intervenor status at the inquiry. Saturday's hearing is open to the public and security is tight, Dragani said.

A Winnipeg police officer was present for the hearing. A Canadian Judicial Council spokesperson said it was prudent to have an officer there, partly based on protocol and also because of some of the blog posts they have seen.

There are five judges and two lawyers on the panel. The judges are from across the country: P.E.I, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.