Pubdate: Wed, 17 Apr 2002
Source: Peterborough This Week (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 Peterborough This Week
Contact:  http://www.peterboroughthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1794
Author: Lance Anderson

'WHY AREN'T THEY ARRESTING ANYONE?': WAUDBY

Reports of a Toronto police officer, working undercover as a heroin addict 
at a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting in Peterborough, has made Brenda 
Waudby relive her daughter's murder all over again.

Ms Waudby, the mother of 21-month-old Jenna Mellor, who was murdered in 
Peterborough in 1997, says the officer befriended her and subsequently 
violated the confidentiality of those at the NA meeting.

"I went to the group under a court order and never expected police would 
plant someone there," she says.

"I was devastated and angered at the way the system worked. It's an outrage."

Ms Waudby was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Sept. 18, 1997 
in connection with her daughter's death. That charge was subsequently 
withdrawn.

It was then she found out the undercover Toronto officer had been covering 
her true identity.

Before then, the pair became friendly and shared similar experiences in 
their lives.

"She explained she was a heroin addict and had an abortion; her story was 
so close to mine, without the murder," says Ms Waudby.

She said the actions of the police are making it hard for people in 
counseling to trust those in their groups. Ms Waudby is now receiving 
one-on-one counselling, vowing to never attend a group session again.

"I'd be afraid because I don't know the person sitting next to me," she says.

"I'm still a suspect in Jenna's murder and I wouldn't put anything pass 
them (police)."

Dave (not his real name) has attended local NA meetings for a number of 
years and remembers when this incident occurred almost five years ago.

He says it "caused an awful lot of damage in the fellowship."

"Our meetings have not been the same since," he adds.

"NA was always looked upon as a safe place to go and get help but we no 
longer felt that way."

Dave knows of some members who stopped attending meetings after the 
undercover cop revelation but agrees it's impossible to know for sure why 
they left the group.

"We have literature we read at every meeting that says we are not under 
surveillance and then this happens," he adds.

Peterborough police chief Terry McLaren, said undercover policies are in 
place and what undercover work officers do depends on the "project proposal."

"At no time did the project have (the) intent to go into a narcotic meeting 
to elicit information from the people there," he assures.

"(The officer) accompanied Brenda to the meeting."

An outside officer, Chief McLaren explains, was used because those with the 
local force are well-known in the community. He wouldn't say if other 
officers have sat in on similar meetings since Ms Waudby's experience.

In the meantime, police are still working towards solving Jenna's murder. 
It's hoped the results from Centre for Forensic Sciences testing on a hair 
or fibre will help.

In February, a strand was found in forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Smith's 
desk in Toronto. It had been there since Jenna's autopsy five years ago. 
That incident is being investigated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Smith turned the item over to city police, who received the testing 
results April 11. Asked what the mysterious strand is, Chief McLaren 
refuses to release that information. He also won't comment if it will help 
determine Jenna's killer.

"It's a piece of evidence and we will be continuing our investigation," he 
said.

For her part, Ms Waudby believes the item is a hair from the person who 
abused and killed her daughter.

"Why they aren't arresting anyone, I have no idea," she says.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens