'Despicable' abuses deserve longer sentences: Cop
By MEGAN GILLIS, BETH JOHNSTON
SUN MEDIA
12th August 2009
A detective with the Ottawa Police elder abuse unit was disappointed Daniel Jacques Chartrand will spend less time in jail than it took for her to put together the case against him.
Det. Christina Wolf is happy the federal and provincial governments are paying attention to the problem of elder abuse, particularly what’s known as financial abuse. But she believes there should be a charge of elder abuse in the Criminal Code which prosecutors could add to charges such as theft by power or attorney to reflect the seriousness of this growing problem.
“His honour went above and beyond the precedent that had already been set which is admirable and fitting, but it is still nowhere near where I think it should have gone,” Wolf said after the sentencing Tuesday.
Between January 2005 and 2009, the Ottawa police elder abuse unit had investigated 468 cases, made 57 arrests and laid 623 charges.
The two officers in charge of the unit expect those numbers to grow exponentially.
“I said to my husband, ‘Don’t ever put me in a home,’” said Wolf, who, along with Det. Brenda McGillvray, runs the elder abuse unit.
The abuse old people are suffering takes many different forms. Either they’re being manipulated financially, neglected and left without bathing or changing their clothes, or physically assaulted.
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