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TORONTO, March 24, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After a bizarre, six-hour odyssey of meetings, consultations, negotiations, statements, retractions of statements, recesses and changes in courtrooms, a woman charged in connection with a pepper spray attack on Aid to Women counsellor Robert Hinchey last August was convicted of the crime in a Toronto courtroom Monday afternoon. Carol Ann Trueman pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of common assault.

The proceedings were marked by a confusing procedure in which Hinchey was placed on the witness stand and allowed to give his version of events surrounding the assault without provision for cross-examination by defence counsel Todd Ducharme. Judge Cathy Mocha then questioned the admissibility of Hinchey’s statements, since Ducharme indicated the defence took serious issue with them. Crown attorney Chris Punter ultimately conceded that he would not press the issue of the reliability of Hinchey’s statements, noting that they were simply Hinchey’s “perceptions” of what took place.

Punter proceeded to ask for a “deterrent sentence” for Trueman, consisting, as a minimum, of a period of probation in which Trueman is to stay away from Hinchey and not carry any form of weaponry, including pepper spray or dog repellant. Ducharme asked for an absolute discharge for his client, who he said is seeing a therapist and getting counselling for anger management. Judge Mocha put off sentencing to this Thursday, March 27 at 2 p.m. in Room 503 of the College Park provincial courthouse at Yonge and College Streets in Toronto.

See related LifeSite coverage:  POLICE HAVE NO RECORD OF PEPPER SPRAYING INCIDENT AT TORONTO HOSPITAL   https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02090601.html   TORONTO PRO-ABORTS KIDNAP YOUNG WOMAN USING PEPPER SPRAY   https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02090501.html POLICE NOW SAY THAT PEPPER SPRAY ASSAILANT WAS CHARGED https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02091301.html