15°c Clear
25°c Variable cloudiness
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Unguarded encounter with rapist not heeded
Safety complaint can't find audience
A Winnipeg woman travelled to Saskatoon to speak out against the man who raped her only to discover the parole hearing had been cancelled.
Tracey Walsh arrived in Saskatoon on July 4 and was informed Edwin Dennis Proctor, the man who raped her and a friend in 1979, had withdrawn his request for a parole hearing.
Proctor will stay incarcerated in Saskatoon's Regional Psychiatric Centre for at least two more years, at which point he will again be eligible for parole.
It was the third time since 2006 Walsh travelled to Saskatoon to read a victim impact statement.
Walsh said although she is relieved Proctor will remain incarcerated, she feels conflicted because she was ready to speak out about an incident that occurred at Proctor's 2008 hearing.
According to Walsh, she and her fiancé, Steven Tymchuk, were walking through the psychiatric centre before the 2008 hearing at around 8:15 a.m. She said she saw Proctor and another inmate walking down the hall towards them unguarded.
"The sight of it was so shocking. I almost pulled Steven towards me into a brick wall to get away from them. He was just there, completely free from guards, and it felt like he could have done anything to me at that point. I felt so powerless," said Walsh. "To me it speaks volumes. To me it says, 'I can still get you.'
"If you cannot protect a survivor or a victim in an institution, then how are you going to protect them out in society? How are you going to protect people on the outside when you can't on the inside?" said Walsh.
Proctor was arrested in 1979 after abducting and raping Walsh and a friend. They were 15 years old at the time. Proctor had also raped and killed Catherine Cluney, 21, a few weeks prior.
After years of hearings, Proctor was convicted in 1995 of first-degree murder, attempted murder, rape and buggery.
While the names of victims of sexual assault are usually not published, Walsh got the court to remove the ban on her name in 2006. Walsh said she felt it was important for her to speak out "so that he would never get free again, so that I would be the last victim."
But now, Walsh said she feels more afraid than ever. She said although she has filed complaints with the Correctional Service of Canada, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan, she has not had her complaints addressed.
"The safety of Steven and I was overlooked with no explanation or consequences for him. I can't even explain the toll physically and mentally this has taken on us," said Walsh.
Although Walsh continues to experience post-traumatic stress from her attack, she maintains she will continue to attend Proctor's parole hearings.
"How I get the strength to keep attending these hearings is I feel like I'm a voice for the people who can't speak. I take all of them with me. When I'm speaking my voice and he's looking at me in the face and I'm keeping him there, that's my kind of sense of I have power," said Walsh. "I was not his first victim but I will be his last."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 12, 2012 A7
History
Updated on Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 10:51 AM CDT: Corrects name of Tracey Walsh
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
100K protesters flood Brazil streets in protests venting anger over poor government services
1:29 AM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Report: Saatchi cautioned over London assault on TV presenter wife Nigella Lawson
- Kenyan wins Manitoba Marathon
- Three-year-old girl drowns at Cross Lake First Nation
- Montreal's interim mayor, a self-styled corruption fighter, faces fraud charges
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- UFC army conquers Winnipeg in one day
- Hong Kong flight with passenger who claimed everybody poisoned lands in US; police greet plane
- Family tweets indicate Kim Kardashian gives birth several weeks ahead of due date
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Kenyan wins Manitoba Marathon
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Three-year-old girl drowns at Cross Lake First Nation
- Report: Saatchi cautioned over London assault on TV presenter wife Nigella Lawson
- MTS providing tower, charging station for Dauphin Countryfest fans
- Winnipeg's got the REIT stuff
- The crime fighter's revolution
- To hike or not to hike? Retailers unsure what to charge for PST on July 1
- Blood, sweat and cheers: Mixed martial arts goes from gory nights to glory days
- Exchange District BIZ rolls out recycling bins
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Two men dead in house fire near Elie
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Yaz and Yasmin pills linked to 23 deaths, say Health Canada documents
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Police: US driver drove drunk while having sex, crashed, hid behind cactus
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.