Media Denied Access To Recording Of RCMP Dispatch

Media Denied Access To Recording Of RCMP Dispatch

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 14:05

An application by the CBC to be allowed to broadcast what were the last words of two deceased RCMP officers has been denied.

The CBC wanted to broadcast an audio recording that was evidence at the murder trial of Curt Dagenais.

Last week, Dagenais was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of Constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages near Spiritwood in July 2006.

The audio recording was from the RCMP dispatch radio that night and contains the voices of Cameron, Bourdages and other officers — including Constable Michelle Knopp who survived the shootout.

Justice Gerald Allbright ruled airing of the tape would cause pain to the surviving officer and the Cameron and Bourdages families, who did not want it broadcast.

He says the transcript of the recording can be reported, adding it adequately “captures the drama and emotion of the pursuit.”