Video Of Ida Paul’s Final Hours Shown At Inquest
Tuesday, December 07, 2010 at 14:36
The brother of an Aboriginal woman who died after a night in Battlefords RCMP cells thinks police should have paid more attention to her.
Ida Paul died in hospital a day after being placed in a drunk tank.
When she didn’t sober up 11 to 12 hours later, she was sent to hospital — but she died a few hours later.
Percy Paul, Ida’s brother, says video and testimony into the inquest indicates to him that Mounties didn’t pay enough attention to his sister.
He says, to him, it looked like she was in pain and a lot of distress in her final hours.
Because he’s Ida’s brother, he has standing at the inquest and has been given plenty of opportunity to ask questions — but has only done so once.
He says that’s because it’s just too painful emotionally.
The fact that an RCMP officer gave his sister a kick while she was in a drunk tank doesn’t concern Paul too much.
A video shown yesterday during the inquest shows an RCMP officer giving a kick to her as he enters the cell.
Cst. Stephen Smart conceded he did kick her, but said he did it only to see how she would respond.
He said he didn’t want to get too close in case she attacked him.
Smart also stessed it was only a light kick.
Percy Paul agreed with Smart when questioned about it later by reporters.
Meanwhile, Paul’s sister says it’s too early for her to decide how she feels about the inquest.
Pauline Paul says she still has many questions to sort out in regard to the testimony that’s been given.
For example, she wonders about the testimony given yesterday that her sister’s liver and kidneys had shut down.
The inquest started on Monday.
Only two more witnesses are left to testify, and they are expected to do so on Wednesday.