The Story Behind the Award
After the suspect was arrested, I was called to a police lineup to identify him. I picked him out. Then the case went to trial, and I had to wait — as anyone who has been through the court system knows, there is a lot of waiting before you actually take the stand.
When my turn came, I spent about an hour on the witness stand. The defence lawyer tried every way he could to confuse me and cast doubt on my identification. The suspect had changed his appearance since the arrest — he had cut his hair, gotten a suntan, and was wearing clean new clothing. The lawyer kept pressing: "How do you know for sure this is the same person?" Over and over again, different angles, different phrasing, trying to shake my testimony.
Eventually, the judge intervened. He asked the defence lawyer directly whether his entire case was based on challenging the identification. The lawyer said yes. The judge then dismissed all the witnesses — we were no longer needed.
About a week later, I learned that the judge had found the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Shortly after that, I received a call from the Vancouver Board of Police Commissioners informing me that I would be awarded the Certificate of Merit. At 16 years old, I was the youngest person to receive it at that time.
