Fathers Battling Injustice

B.C. Crown seeks to declare woman, 20, Dangerous offender

Posted By: Athena
Date: Wednesday, 12 May 1999, at 7:01 a.m.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999 National Post

B.C. Crown seeks to declare woman, 20, Dangerous offender

Mark Hume National Post

VANCOUVER - A young woman who joined with her husband in a series of sexual assaults on youths should be declared a dangerous offender, according to Crown prosecutors who are seeking a designation rarely applied to women in Canada.

A dangerous offender hearing will be held in the case of Crystal Henricks, 20, after a 60-day psychiatric assessment that should be completed by July, the courts in Prince George ruled earlier this week.

The application for dangerous offender status came after Henricks was found guilty on four counts of sexual assault, three counts of administering a stupefying drug, and one count of making child pornography.

Henricks was charged along with her husband, James Darren Bennett, 38, after the RCMP arrested them in Willow River, a small community near Prince George in central B.C.

Defence lawyer Keith Aartsen said the application for dangerous offender status is extremely rare for women.

"There's not very many women in Canada who have been declared dangerous," said Mr. Aartsen. "It's unusual, especially for one who has no previous record."

Mr. Aartsen said he will argue that Henricks does not warrant the designation, because she had not offended before and because the jury struggled for a long time before reaching guilty verdicts on several counts.

"The jury was out five days," said Mr. Aartsen. "They took a long time to decide, which I think shows how difficult it was for them."

He said he will also argue that his client was, in reality, a victim of her husband, who met her as a teen.

Bennett pleaded guilty to 11 charges at the outset of the child pornography trial March 3.

Bennett and Henricks enticed their victims to their trailer home in Willow River, about 30 kilometres east of Prince George. Victims were sometimes drugged before being sexually assaulted.

Messages In This Thread

B.C. Crown seeks to declare woman, 20, Dangerous offender
Athena -- Wednesday, 12 May 1999, at 7:01 a.m.

Typical:she was a victim of her husband.
creative foddhr -- Wednesday, 12 May 1999, at 2:22 p.m.

Has anyone asked the victims?
sprice -- Wednesday, 12 May 1999, at 3:45 p.m.

Re: B.C. Crown seeks to declare woman, 20, Dangero
i hate skinners -- Monday, 26 October 2009, at 12:16 a.m.