Innocence on Trial

In the early 1980s, Vancouver residents were still reeling from the sensational arrest of child murderer Clifford Olson when a new terror surfaced in the headlines: a serial rapist was attacking women across the city. In May 1982, with a tarnished image and few leads in their case, the Vancouver Police Department made an arrest. Ivan Henry was an ex-convict still adjusting to civilian life when he was detained on a break-and-enter charge. A short time later, he found himself on trial for ten charges of sexual assault—crimes he vehemently denied committing. Making the misguided decision to forego legal representation and defend himself, Henry sealed his own fate. Declared a dangerous offender in November 1983, Henry spent twenty-seven years in prison before being acquitted in 2010 on the basis of unreliable evidence. To this day, he has not been compensated or publicly exonerated. Author and arbitration lawyer Joan McEwen has spent three years interviewing Ivan Henry, investigating his case, and helping him seek compensation for his hellish life behind bars.
This is a powerful story of justice miscarried and one man's determined quest to win restitution for the wrongly convicted.