Child pornography charges in Rehtaeh Parsons case of little solace

The announcement of charges in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old Nova Scotia girl who took her own life after photos of an alleged sexual attack were released, was intended to give solace to a grieving family.

Scratch that, the purpose of criminal charges is to uphold the rule of law and order. Solace is secondary. Distantly so, in this instance.

Nova Scotia RCMP announced charges against two young men this week. But those charges fell well short of satisfying the family. They claim Parsons, at the age of 15, was sexually assaulted by as many as four young men while drunk at a party. They say one of those men took photos of the incident, which spread through the girl’s social circle and fed an onslaught of cruelty and name-calling.

This was all nearly two years ago. In April, she killed herself. Amid public outrage, police re-opened an investigation into the attack. This week came charges. Two young men alleged to have taken and distributed photos of a naked teenage girl. Still no one charged for sexual assault.

“It wasn’t what we were hoping for,” Rehtaeh’s father Glen Canning told Global News. “It leaves a lot of questions open for me and Rehtaeh’s mom and her family. … To be honest with you, I’m angry. I’m angry right now.”

The allegations that Parsons was sexually assaulted remain allegations, in that her family still asserts it happened. Their unheard assertions echo the same battle for support the teen faced while she was alive.

[ Related: Police in Rehtaeh Parsons case warn against vigilantism ]

Despite legislative changes and a new awareness of the scourge of cyberbullying, the Rehtaeh Parsons case still comes down to an unverified allegation of sexual assault and unproven charges of child pornography distribution.

It was November 2011 and, as the allegations go, as many as four young men participated in the sexual assault of Parsons while she was drunk at a house party.

Allegations further claim that one of the boys took photographs on his cell phone, of a sexual act occurring as Parsons hung out the window vomiting. The photos later spread through social media as classmates tormented Parsons online and in person. (An account shared by her father suggests two others had sex with her afterward.)

Parsons switched schools, tried to start fresh. But there is not much respite in small communities and the demons followed her. Police launched an investigation into the incident, but they found insufficient evidence to lay charges. The investigation was closed.

In April of this year, Parsons attempted to hang herself, lapsed into a coma and died when she was later removed from life support.

Outrage followed, the names of the boys said to be responsible spread and police re-opened their investigation with “fresh eyes”.

[ More Brew: Teens charged with child porn in Rehtaeh Parsons case ]

This week, two 18-year-olds were charged with distributing child pornography in the case. One of them was further charged with making child pornography. Sexual assault charges were not laid, however, there still being too little evidence to support charges.

The Parsons case does not stand alone. Too often, cases of cyberbullying stem from other troubling events. Amanda Todd, a B.C. teen who committed suicide after topless photos were released online, similarly never saw charges laid against her tormenter.

Todd killed herself last year after posting a YouTube video in which she spelled out her troubles on cue cards. Her story alleged that she was convinced to flash her breasts to a person over webcam, and that person threatened and blackmailed her before released the images online.

The Vancouver Sun reported this week that investigators in B.C. would not comment on whether anything criminal led to her death, or whether there were any suspects in the case.

A “he said, she said” situation, each of them. And in the eyes of investigators, her death doesn’t do a thing to end that standoff. Parsons’ vomiting-drunk sexual encounter with four young men is still a matter of debate. Only the allegations that photographs were taken and distributed will be challenged.

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