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Top airforce commander is secret sex predator
BELLEVILLE, CANADA - The disgraced commander of Canada's largest air force base pleaded guilty Monday to 86 lurid crimes, including the murders of two women, two sexual assaults and dozens of burglaries.
Colonel Russell Williams, 47, a married pilot who once flew the jet used to ferry Canada's prime minister as well as the British royal family on a visit, displayed no emotion as he admitted to his crimes in a Belleville, Ontario courtroom.
He faces life in prison, with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years.
Police arrested Williams in February for the disappearance and death of a 27-year-old woman last heard from the previous month. He was caught when the tire treads of his vehicle were matched at a police roadside checkpoint to tracks at the crime scene.
Williams was later charged with the murder of a female corporal under his command at the Trenton military base in November, as well as in two home invasions in which two women were confined and sexually assaulted.
He was also charged with an additional 82 counts of break-and-enter and attempted break-and-enter in Ottawa, Belleville, and a third locality, Tweed.
A stash of women's undergarments taken by police from Williams' residence were linked to burglaries near his home and job.
An agreed statement of facts read out in the Ontario Superior Court traced the escalation of his offences that culminated in two sexual assaults and two murders.
"Given the seriousness of charges, it's important for the court to have a full account of the facts," said prosecutor Lee Burgess. "These facts will be extremely disturbing."
The court was shown hundreds of photographs - recovered from Williams' computer - of him wearing the stolen undergarments in his victims' bedrooms and masturbating. Some of the undergarments belonged to young girls.
The stolen lingerie was meticulously categorized and stored in bags and boxes discovered at his Ottawa home, which he shared with his wife of 19 years. The court heard that he periodically disposed of the loot when he had accumulated too much.
Dressed in a dark suit and grey button-down shirt, Williams responded to each charge: "Guilty, your honour."
The court heard that only 17 homeowners had reported their homes had been broken into, while 61 others went undetected prior to Williams' arrest and confession to police.
Most of the break-ins occurred at night, and at least once while he appeared to be in his military uniform.
Williams commanded Canada's busiest air force base, the 437 Squadron in Trenton, east of Toronto, for more than a year prior to his arrest. Previously he was in charge of Canada's secretive Camp Mirage in Dubai.
Canada's chief of defense staff, General Walt Natynczyk, said Williams' crimes "stunned all Canadians and none more so than the members of the Canadian Forces."
Williams's "guilty plea is the first step in a healing process that will no doubt take many years," he said.
At the end of the proceedings, an administrative process to strip Williams of his rank and kick him out of the military would begin, he said.
While in prison, Williams attempted suicide and held a hunger strike, but cooperated fully with investigators.
BELLEVILLE, CANADA - The disgraced commander of Canada's largest air force base pleaded guilty Monday to 86 lurid crimes, including the murders of two women, two sexual assaults and dozens of burglaries.
Colonel Russell Williams, 47, a married pilot who once flew the jet used to ferry Canada's prime minister as well as the British royal family on a visit, displayed no emotion as he admitted to his crimes in a Belleville, Ontario courtroom.
He faces life in prison, with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years.
Police arrested Williams in February for the disappearance and death of a 27-year-old woman last heard from the previous month. He was caught when the tire treads of his vehicle were matched at a police roadside checkpoint to tracks at the crime scene.
Williams was later charged with the murder of a female corporal under his command at the Trenton military base in November, as well as in two home invasions in which two women were confined and sexually assaulted.
He was also charged with an additional 82 counts of break-and-enter and attempted break-and-enter in Ottawa, Belleville, and a third locality, Tweed.
A stash of women's undergarments taken by police from Williams' residence were linked to burglaries near his home and job.
An agreed statement of facts read out in the Ontario Superior Court traced the escalation of his offences that culminated in two sexual assaults and two murders.
"Given the seriousness of charges, it's important for the court to have a full account of the facts," said prosecutor Lee Burgess. "These facts will be extremely disturbing."
The court was shown hundreds of photographs - recovered from Williams' computer - of him wearing the stolen undergarments in his victims' bedrooms and masturbating. Some of the undergarments belonged to young girls.
The stolen lingerie was meticulously categorized and stored in bags and boxes discovered at his Ottawa home, which he shared with his wife of 19 years. The court heard that he periodically disposed of the loot when he had accumulated too much.
Dressed in a dark suit and grey button-down shirt, Williams responded to each charge: "Guilty, your honour."
The court heard that only 17 homeowners had reported their homes had been broken into, while 61 others went undetected prior to Williams' arrest and confession to police.
Most of the break-ins occurred at night, and at least once while he appeared to be in his military uniform.
Williams commanded Canada's busiest air force base, the 437 Squadron in Trenton, east of Toronto, for more than a year prior to his arrest. Previously he was in charge of Canada's secretive Camp Mirage in Dubai.
Canada's chief of defense staff, General Walt Natynczyk, said Williams' crimes "stunned all Canadians and none more so than the members of the Canadian Forces."
Williams's "guilty plea is the first step in a healing process that will no doubt take many years," he said.
At the end of the proceedings, an administrative process to strip Williams of his rank and kick him out of the military would begin, he said.
While in prison, Williams attempted suicide and held a hunger strike, but cooperated fully with investigators.
