Victims' families deliver emotional statements at Paul Bernardo's parole hearing

Original Publication Date November 26, 2024 - 1:01 AM

Family members of two teenage girls who were tortured and murdered by Paul Bernardo are asking the Parole Board of Canada to keep the notorious killer behind bars in their emotional victim impact statements.

A parole hearing is underway for Bernardo, who is serving an indeterminate life sentence for the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont.

Victim impact statements delivered so far include those from Kristen's mother Donna French, who spoke of the "senseless and brutal" loss her family endured, and from Leslie's brother Ryan Mahaffy, who was a young child when his sister was murdered.

Bernardo, who was denied parole twice in the past, was also convicted of manslaughter in the December 1990 death of his then-wife Karla Homolka's 15-year-old sister, Tammy.

Tim Danson, a lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy families, said the parole board initially denied his clients the right to deliver their victim impact statements in person at the hearing.

After the board reversed its decision, Danson said the lack of time to make appropriate travel arrangements meant only Leslie Mahaffy's mother could be present, while others are delivering their statements remotely.

Bernardo's parole hearing is taking place at the medium-security La Macaza Institution in Quebec, after his transfer there from a maximum-security Ontario prison caused public outcry last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.