TORONTO - The wife of former CFB Trenton base commander Col. Russell Williams says she has been devastated by the first-degree murder, sexual assault and raft of other charges against her husband.
Mary-Elizabeth Harriman has not given interviews or spoken publicly since the shocking charges were laid against her husband.
An affidavit filed in a lawsuit in court in Belleville, Ont., provides the first glimpse of how the charges that have rocked the Canadian military have traumatized the colonel's own wife.
"The revelation of these charges has been devastating to me," Harriman says.
"As a result of the charges, my previously anticipated future and financial security had (sic) become jeopardized."
Williams has been criminally charged with killing two women, sexually assaulting another two women and with 82 break-and-enter charges, some of which reportedly involved lingerie.
Just hours before Williams made a brief court appearance last month, provincial police said a review of unsolved crimes in eastern Ontario had resulted in 82 new charges.
According to the search warrant for the home of an earlier suspect in the break-ins, detectives were looking for lingerie, baby blankets and other material.
One of Williams' alleged sex assault victims, identified only as Jane Doe, has launched a $2.45-million lawsuit against Williams and Harriman. The 21-year-old woman claims the "horrific and reprehensible" alleged sexual attack has left her fearful and suicidal.
Doe is also suing Harriman, claiming Williams fraudulently transferred an Ottawa property to his wife in an effort to defeat Jane Doe's claim.
The criminal charges have not yet been tested in court nor have the civil allegations.
Williams has not yet filed a statement of defence.
In the suit, the woman alleges Williams secretly transferred a property in Ottawa, the city in which he shared a home with his wife, in "unusual haste" and under "suspicious circumstances" on March 26.
The woman believes that Williams and Harriman "will remove assets from the jurisdiction or otherwise dispose of or dissipate them in an effort to defeat the plaintiff in any attempt to recover upon the judgment, if the plaintiff is ultimately successful," the suit reads.
In her statement of defence Harriman says Williams did transfer his interest in their home and other assets, but it was a "domestic contract" they executed and there was "nothing untoward or suspicious about the transfer."
"At all times my intent in executing the conveyance was to provide for my financial security as against my husband," Harriman writes.
Because personal financial details are expected to arise in the course of the lawsuit, Harriman's lawyer Mary Jane Binks, has signalled that she will be seeking a sealing order on details that haven't yet come up in court.
"My reputation in the community is exemplary," says Harriman, an associate executive director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
"The publication of further particular details of my professional life, personal financial situation and legal affairs could have a significant negative impact upon me personally and professionally."
Williams broke into Jane Doe's home in Tweed, Ont., on Sept. 17, 2009 at about 1 a.m. while she and her infant daughter were sleeping, her suit claims. Williams held her captive, sexually assaulted her and took naked pictures of her, according to the lawsuit.
During the attack, which left her sexually, emotionally and mentally traumatized, the woman was terrified Williams would kill her and/or her baby, she claims.
"The conduct of the defendant was harsh, vindictive, malicious, horrific and reprehensible," the statement of claim reads.
The horror of that night has left the woman with a long list of ongoing trauma, she claims. She will require extensive therapy and medical attention, she claims, and is seeking $100,000 for future care costs.
The woman is also seeking $500,000 each in general damages for pain and suffering and loss of future income, as well as $500,000 each for aggravated damages and punitive damages. She is also claiming $250,000 in special damages for lost income and a further $100,000 for unspecified special damages.
