HALIFAX — The father of Rehtaeh Parsons thanked the online group Anonymous for its role in his daughter’s case being re-opened.
“I want to say thank you to Anonymous for getting involved in my daughter’s case,” wrote Glen Canning in a blog post on Monday.
Canning thanked them for being the driving force behind the new information that came forward to investigators and for their support in calling attention to the four boys who allegedly raped Rehtaeh in November 2011.
“I won’t forget this,” wrote Canning.
After a week of public pressure and global attention, the RCMP reopened the case into the alleged sexual assault on Friday, saying they were given new and credible evidence while emphasizing that the information “did not come from an online source.”
The RCMP previously concluded their initial investigation last fall saying there was insufficient evidence to lay charges after consulting the province’s Public Prosecution Service.
On Monday night, Nova Scotia’s premier Darrell Dexter announced his government would conduct an independent review of the RCMP’s original investigation, something the Parsons family, concerned citizens, and Anonymous had been calling for last week.
Dexter said the review won’t begin until the Mounties conclude their new criminal investigation into the alleged sexual assault of the then 15-year-old girl, along with the distribution of a photograph of the incident. The Parsons family said the assault and the bullying that followed is what led their daughter’s suicide.
The premier’s announcement came a week after Nova Scotia Justice minister Ross Landry said he would not review the case or second-guess the police.
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