CALGARY — A judge who asked a sexual assault complainant why she couldn't keep her knees together will take the witness stand today at a hearing to determine his future.
The Canadian Judicial Council is weighing whether Justice Robin Camp, who made the comments in 2014 as a Calgary provincial court judge, should be removed from the bench.
Camp acquitted a man of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl after deciding the man's version of events was more credible.
Court transcripts show Camp questioned the woman's morals, suggested her attempts to fight off her attacker were feeble and described her as "the accused" throughout the trial.
He asked her: "Why couldn't you just keep your knees together?" and said "pain and sex sometimes go together."
The verdict was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered.
The hearing has heard from the original complainant in the 2014 case who told the panel Camp's comments hurt her and made her suicidal.
"He made me hate myself and he made me feel like I should have done something ... that I was some kind of slut,'' she said Tuesday.
The lawyer for Camp has called three witnesses: a Manitoba justice, a law professor and a psychologist, who were paid by Camp to mentor him after his comments at the trial came to light.
They say Camp has worked hard to change his attitude and hadn't been trained properly about the crime of sexual assault or how to conduct a sexual assault trial.
Camp, who is 64, has already issued an apology for what he called his "insensitive" remarks. He is expected to express his remorse again today and will be the last witness called at the hearing.
The panel hearing the complaint against him will forward a recommendation to the full Canadian Judicial Council. The council will then forward its final recommendation to the federal justice minister but removing a judge from the bench requires a vote of both houses of Parliament.
