Police, government pledge more help for cyberbullying and sexual assault victims following report

HALIFAX – After an independent review of the Rhetaeh Parsons child pornography case stated Parsons “did not receive support and assistance” required, the government of Nova Scotia is pledging to take action.

Justice Minister Diana Whalen was presented with the report, conducted by former lawyer Murray Segal, which outlined several problems in the way police and the prosecution handled the case. The review concluded that child pornography charges could have been laid following the initial investigation.

READ MORE: Report finds Rhetaeh Parsons “did not receive support and assistance” required

Segal’s review makes 17 recommendations for government, police and the Public Prosecution Service. The recommendations include improvements to policies, procedures and actions that relate to cyberbullying, sexual violence, investigations and prosecutions. The report also touched on the roles and responsibilities of government, schools, police and the Public Prosecution Service.

At Thursday’s media conference, Whalen said she accepted the report and would review the recommendations in the coming weeks. Whalen said the province’s education minister will also be brought in because the report stated that officers weren’t allowed into the schools to interview students or have access to cell phones.

“I’m taking these recommendations very seriously and I know my partner in government, law enforcement and Public Prosecution Service will too,” Whalen said in a release sent out on Thursday afternoon.

The RCMP and Halifax Regional Police also took time to respond to Thursday’s report. The RCMP apologized for the portions of the review that were related to police and acknowledged there were shortcomings in the initial report Parsons and her family tried to file with police.

To read the full report on the Parsons case and see all recommendations visit www.novascotia.ca/segalreport.