Canada: Online Stalker Of TV Host Jody Vance Sentenced – Perpetrator Given Slap On The Wrist
Location: Canada, Vancouver
Date: March 10, 2023
Canadian radio and TV host Jody Vance’s online harasser given twelve-month probation after plea deal. Vance was stalked by Richard Sean Oliver for years. Harassment included hundreds of threatening and sexualized messages to Vance, her colleagues, and guests on her radio show. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is disappointed at this meager sentencing. Oliver will not spend any time in prison. Women journalists in Canada are frequently targets of online trolling campaigns. Weak sentencing emboldens those who harass them. We call on Canadian courts to recognize the seriousness of this crime and impose harsher sentences on those who stalk women online.
On March 10 a Vancouver court sentenced Richard Sean Oliver to one-year probation for harassing journalist Jody Vance for several years. The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of criminal harassment. Oliver harassed Vance with hundreds of emails since 2016.
Abuse escalated during the pandemic as Oliver criticized her coverage of COVID-19-related stories. Vance feared for her safety and that of her family, particularly her son, as the tone of the emails grew worse. She responded three times, asking the sender to stop. He didn’t. Police got involved and eventually got Oliver to stop sending Vance emails, but he continued to email sexualized images to her guests and colleagues.
Judge Peter LaPrairie called sending angry emails “a cowardly way to vent his frustrations on Ms. Vance, who was merely carrying out her duties as a journalist.” Vance told the court in her victim impact statement that the harassment forced her to deny many invitations to professional and charity events, her “bread and butter as a freelance journalist,” over concerns for her safety.”
“There’s no justice here,” Vance told Daily Hive. “I’m still in shock,” she added, referencing the sentence that Oliver received.
Jody Vance is a freelance radio and TV journalist who has hosted shows on CBC, CKNW Radio, and Al-Jazeera. She currently co-hosts Steele and Vance on CHEK TV. She was the first woman to anchor her own prime-time sports TV show in Canada.
Online harassment of women journalists in Canada
CFWIJ has documented numerous cases of harassment of women journalists in Canada. In 2022 journalists Saba Eitizaz and Erica Ifill were the targets of racist and misogynistic harassment. Trolls have sent death threats and hateful messages to reporters Rachel Gilmore and Teresa Wright. CFWIJ launched a campaign in 2022 to End Online Violence Against Women Journalists in Canada.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends its complete support to Jody Vance for pursuing justice and confronting her harasser in court. However, we echo Vance’s dismay at the soft sentencing of Oliver. A twelve-month probation is a pitiful punishment for years of harassment. Online attacks on female journalists in Canada are rampant. Women, particularly women of color, are frequent targets of online trolling campaigns orchestrated by the far-right. Victims often suffer psychological and consequently, financial repercussions due to consistent harassment. Canadian courts must recognize the seriousness of online abuse of journalists and sentence them accordingly.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.