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Chief Freeman Speaks To Senate In Support Of Bill C-299

Friday, 10 May 2013 at 11:22

Woodstock Police Chief, Rod Freeman has thrown his support behind Private Members Bill C-299 once again. The bill is calling for a 5-year minimum jail sentence for those offenders convicted of kidnapping a child under 16 years of age when the offender is a stranger to the victim. Freeman spoke to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights a year ago on this bill, and on Thursday, made a presentation to the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. "We're pleased and I am sure MP David Wilks who is the originator of the bill is quite pleased with this progress. I am still pretty optimistic, if anything I am more optimistic today than I was a even year ago and I was thinking plosive even back then". The bill has a personal connection for Freeman as he took over as the Police Chief in Woodstock the day Tori Stafford's body was discovered in Mount Forest. "If there is anything I can do to ensure that another child doesn't have to endure what Victoria did, than I will pull out all stops to do accomplish that. And that's part of appearing last year before the Parliament committee and again this year before the Senate and if it requires another appearance, I will gladly come forth and explain the experiences that we had in Woodstock and hopefully contribute to a solution". During his presentation on Thursday, Freeman said "Well we respect the rights of the accused, I think we have a greater responsibility to ensure the safety of our children".

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