Heatherington's computer disc had pieces of stalker letters - CBC

[Screaming Lord Byron]

http://calgary.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ca_heatherington20040218

Lethbridge - A computer disc Dar Heatherington's husband found contained fragments of sexually explicit letters similar to ones she claimed to receive from a stalker, a computer expert testified Wednesday. Dave Johnston said he never came up with a complete file that would implicate the alderman, but did discover pieces of documents that stay on a computer even when they've been deleted.

He told Judge Peter Caffaro, who is hearing the case alone, that a search turned up numerous hits on words used in the letters: "stalk" came up 179 times, for example. There were also a number of hits for certain sexually explicit words.

As well, Las Vegas came up 50 times and Great Falls was there 100 times. The alderman drew international attention last May when she disappeared from Great Falls, Montana and turned up in Vegas three days later, claiming to have been abducted, drugged and sexually assaulted.

Johnston also said the word "darling," which was the way each letter she received from the alleged stalker began, turned up more than 800 times. He said all the hits came from a root directory that contained the name D Heatherington. Johnston will be cross-examined by Heatherington's lawyer Thursday.

Heatherington was charged with public mischief in June, when Lethbridge Police concluded, after an eight-month investigation into her allegations, she was making them up. The 40-year-old went to police in October 2002, saying she'd received seven phone calls from an anonymous man who began by complimenting her work at city hall and then started to make comments about her body. Heatherington didn't save any of the calls.

- Not for me to prejudice a case, but she's so guilty. If she's disturbed (which I think, I saw her 'presentation' to council - scary) then she needs help and compassion. If not, I hope they throw the book at her for wasting so much time for so many people.