‘We certainly don’t see justice’: Women’s advocacy group disappointed in Vernon killer’s sentence

Justice isn’t what victims of abuse or their families will find at the end of a trial, say representatives from the Archway Society, an Okanagan organization that provides supportive services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

That held true for the family of Heather Barker, who was killed in 2018 by her partner Shaun Wiebe, a former pharmacist who, at the time, had a steroid misuse problem. Last week Wiebe, after admitting to beating the five-foot-three woman to death, was sentenced in   to four years in prison, less 200 days for time served in a crime described by Supreme Court Justice Alison Beames as “horrific” and “inexcusable.”

“One of the many things I have learned over the years is that we have a legal system, not a justice system. A system that focusses on legal procedures, legal precedents, legal principles, etc.,” Micki Materi, Co-Ed at Archway Society, said.

“Crown represents the people, not the victims. The victims are witnesses in criminal matters. So, how is justice really served? We certainly don’t see justice in this case. What is justice to a family that lost their mother in such a horrific, needless way? Heather isn’t here to present her voice with the circumstances surrounding her death. And yes, the loss of Heather isn’t just to her family and her community, the potential for humanity is lost whenever a woman is murdered.”

2:02 Documentary on Vernon women’s murder airs in the U.K.

Sherry Demetrick, Co-Ed at Archway Society, said these types of crimes and the results are dishearteningly common. To highlight the disparities, she pointed to another spousal murder with a twist, where a sentencing hearing played out just a week earlier.

Kelowna woman Billie-Jo Bennett was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the manslaughter death of her husband.

“Obviously, there are differences between these cases but the commonality is that these are both manslaughter convictions but have significant variances in sentencing,” she said.

Both sentences were reached by joint submission by Crown counsel and defence. The discussions they had, and what went into the final decision may never be known. In the case of Bennett, she pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing her husband, who similarly to Barker, was significantly smaller than her.

Bennett pleaded guilty earlier in the process; Wiebe ran to his family’s home in the Prairies and confessed his crimes to an undercover operative. That’s when he was arrested.

Ultimately, however, the families of neither victim will likely be satisfied.

“Heather died at the hands of her partner, someone who’s supposed to love her and support her and respect her. It’s just so heartbreaking and I don’t know what an appropriate sentence would be for that,” Demetrick said.

“Certainly, four years does not seem adequate.”

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The fact that the sentence is so light, she said,  speaks to a culture of domestic violence just not being considered as significant, or treated appropriately.

It’s an issue that needs to change because in recent years, incidents of violence against women have only increased.

“What we’re seeing,  both anecdotally and statistically is a really significant spike in domestic violence,” she said.

“Not only has there been a spike in domestic violence but a spike in the severity, where there are very, very significant injuries and a much higher likelihood of deaths resulting. So that’s quite alarming and has happened over the course of the pandemic.”

5:15 Increase in domestic violence reported during lockdown

The report by the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability found that the number of killings of women and girls in Canada was up 27 per cent in 2022 compared with before the pandemic in 2019.

The report, which looks at the number of killings of women and girls from 2018 to 2022, showed that more than 850 women and girls had lost their lives. In 83 per cent of cases, the accused killer was male.

There is, however, support and programming that is free and confidential.

“Archway and all of our sister agencies across the Okanagan have women working in our agencies that have devoted their careers to supporting women, children and families in these in these difficult situations. And we really do not want to see another woman lose her life in our community,” she said.

Archway offers safe shelter for those women choosing to leave their partners and support to find permanent housing, in addition to help navigating the justice system.

They also have a wide breadth of services for those who choose to stay in their relationship, offering safety planning, counselling and support for those women too.

“We have staff who are non-judgmental, professional and confidential, and who know how difficult these situations are,” she said. “They have devoted their careers to helping women, children, youth and families through these situations and are supportive and encouraging. So please reach out to us if you feel like you need help or support. We do not want to see another woman die at the hands of her partner in our community.”

Barker left behind three daughters and loving parents. During the Friday sentencing hearing, they told the court how losing a woman who was kind and loving continued to weigh on them and that the final image of their loved one, battered and bruised, will always haunt them.

“The fabric of our life, every stitch woven into our family tapestry has become altered forever,” Barker’s parents Deborah and Geoff Cooney wrote in a victim impact statement.

“The impacts of Heather’s ended life, for us and the extended family, are felt in our past, present and future. Taken away from us with the opportunity to share the future, our life became a jagged ripped timeframe of before-tragedy and our life after-tragedy. The privilege and specialness of the parent and child relationship of kinship and love and sharing life together was taken away.”

The natural impulse of parents to love and protect their children always has come to the point of the worst imaginable outcome, an outcome of no choice, they wrote.

For those experiencing violence, there is free, confidential support provided by Archway Society for Domestic Peace, formerly the Vernon Women’s Transition Society.

For anyone seeking information, support, or resources, please contact http://www.archwaysociety.ca or call 250-558-3850.