by MATTHEW HAYS

The strange case of alleged homophobic harassment and assault appeared to move towards closure on Tuesday morning, when a Quebec Superior Court acquitted Pointe Claire resident Robert Walker of four charges of harassment.

The charges, brought to the fore by the elderly gay couple Roger Thibault and Theo Wouters, involved several incidents in which the two claimed they were harassed by Walker, who lives next door to them in the Montreal suburb. Walker has maintained his innocence from the beginning, though he refused to grant interviews about the case, which led, he says, to an imbalanced media view of things.

Walker and his wife Norah said they were extremely relieved and feel vindicated as they exited the court room. Both have said they felt the media jumped to conclusions, as the story swelled to one of international proportions, covered extensively in the media. Despite the intense scrutiny he and his family faced, for close to two years Walker refused any comment.

Which prompts the question: does Walker now regret not speaking out sooner? “No, I don’t. I had faith in our court system. I knew the charges wouldn’t stand and they haven’t.”

Theo Wouters, who arrived after the verdict had been announced, said he was “appalled and shocked” at the ruling. He maintains that Walker is still harassing him. When asked what precisely his neighbour was doing, Wouters stated that whenever he leaves his house, Walker steps outside as well. “Why does he have to come outside when I’m outside?” Wouters asked.

Wouters stated that while he feels this case is a setback, he and Thibault intend to file a civil suit against Walker. “Those are much easier to prove,” Wouters said. He also noted that their case will be heard by a Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, slated to take place in April.

Though the two couples clearly can’t agree on their respective versions of events, they did seem to agree on one thing in the trial’s wake. Wouters said “This is a horrible day for all minorities in Quebec. What the judge did with this ruling was to say that homophobia isn’t nice but is okay.”

Norah Walker clearly doesn’t agree about the homophobia charge, but did say this hurts the gay minority. “All the work the gay community has done to gain more respect has been hurt by this. These charges were always false.”

Salvatore Mascia, the lawyer who defended Walker, agreed. “The next time someone steps forward with real charges of this sort, they will not be taken as seriously. This hurts the credibility of the gay community.”

Wouters said he feels let down by the gay community. In the summer of 2001, several hundred people marched down his Pointe Claire street in solidarity with the couple. Their case became a cause among Montreal’s gay community and in much of the press, something Walker says left him “intimidated, humiliated and frightened for my safety and the safety of my property.”

Wouters blamed the gay community for not showing up in court, slammed his legal advisor, lawyer Noel St-Pierre, for “only showing up once when the cameras were around,” and Sue Montgomery, “that redneck columnist from the Gazette.” :