The justice Minister is holding his ground on calls for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Tony Humby/Bruce Escott case, despite calls from the opposition.
It is alleged that both Escott and Humby engaged in predatory activities dating back to the mid 90s.
They’re accused of teaming up to lure and abuse victims in the east end of St. John’s.
Escott isn’t fighting the charges against him and is due to be sentenced tomorrow, while Humby has a trail set for March.
Justice Minister Bernard Davis
Justice Minister Bernard Davis says while government isn’t saying no to an inquiry, they cannot move forward on anything until the legal matters are resolved.
He says they have to let those proceedings happen, noting they do not want to jeopardize any ongoing investigations.
Opposition leader Tony Wakeham says that an inquiry should happen immediately.
He argues that it would not look at the criminal charges, but rather the police process up to this point.
Wakeham says he has been contacted by current and former RNC officers who say the accused were investigated numerous times over the years, but no charges were laid until last year.
He says the officers were “actively involved” in some of the investigations over the years, and have told him that they prepared reports and “these reports need to be read.”
