Following three years of mandatory silence, Dawn Griffin and her daughter are now permitted to speak.
On Nov. 7, Calgary’s Court of the Queen’s Bench lifted the publication ban on a case involving Cochrane resident Allan Dean Griffin, 46, who has been charged with six crimes involving minors – three counts of sexual assault, one of sexual contact and two counts of breach of trust.
Dawn’s daughter, who is now 17, was one of three girls who have made claims against Allan Dean (who goes by his middle name, Dean), all of whom were between the ages of five and nine at the time of the alleged encounters.
“It was the most nerve-racking experience of a lifetime,” Dawn’s daughter said of having to testify in court against the accused, who is her father and the stepfather of the other two who allege they were assaulted.
The Rocky View Weekly has decided to withhold the names of the three girls who have made these claims, as all were minors during the time of the alleged incidents and two are still minors today.
Dawn said her daughter was forced to hold in everything about her alleged experience for three years during a court-imposed publication ban, which she said was imposed in an effort to protect the three girls who made the claims. Dawn said the experience is like carrying a heavy burden, or a secret that you just want to let everyone else know.
All three girls involved in this case fought to have the publication ban lifted because, according to Dawn and her daughter, they wanted the public to be aware of what was happening, and they could no longer remain silent.
All parties involved in this case were legally not permitted to speak about any of the details of what had been alleged to have happened because of the publication ban the courts implemented.
Dawn said this resulted in her being unable to talk to her daughter about what she claims had transpired between her and the accused, which put her family under a great deal of stress and emotional strain.
The first time Dawn heard the full story of her daughter’s alleged experience with the accused was when her daughter testified in court, which was a difficult situation for a mother to be in.
“It’s a relief for me that all the evidence has been heard,” admitted Dawn, who said the ordeal has had a negative effect on her daughter emotionally as well as on her school grades. “Kids hold these things in... they want to forget.”
Dawn’s daughter was able to talk to a counsellor about what she said happened to her more than a decade ago, but because of the publication ban was unable to speak to anyone else.
She first gave her statement to Cochrane RCMP in 2010, but admits that it was somewhat different to the one she later provided in 2011, saying the reason for the conflicting stories was because she knew she would no longer have to see the accused again.
“It’s hard when you have to go there every other weekend,” Dawn’s daughter said of her visitation with her father.
Allan Dean Griffin was found not guilty by Justice Yamauchi on Dec. 6, at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary.
