Courts - Canada - Judge jailed

Former B.C. judge imprisoned for seven years

By MARY NERSESSIAN
Globe and Mail Update

The former B.C. provincial court judge who pleaded guilty to breach of trust and sex charges involving prostitutes as young as 12 was sentenced to seven years in prison in the B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George on Tuesday.
David Ramsay, 61, pleaded guilty to three counts of buying sex from minors, one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, and one count of breach of trust relating to the duties as judge in May. The incidents were dated from 1992, the year after Mr. Ramsay was appointed to the bench, to 2001, involving four young Aboriginal girls who were aged 12 to 16 at the time of the assaults.
He was sentenced by B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm in Prince George.
The Globe and Mail reported that in one instance he picked up a 16-year-old prostitute and attacked her when she tried to use a condom.
He smashed her head against the dashboard of his car until she struggled to escape and ran. He caught up to her and sexually assaulted her until she fled.
She recognized her attacker when she appeared in the courthouse as a witness for another case.
Police began investigating in August, 1999 when they first received a complaint about Mr. Ramsay.
He was removed from duty in the summer of 2002 when B.C. Chief Judge Carol Baird learned he was the subject of a criminal investigation. He resigned in October, 2002, the day special prosecutor Dennis Murray was appointed to investigate the allegations.
B.C. Attorney-General Geoff Plant says his ministry may review Mr. Ramsay's past rulings to determine if any are questionable.