Wednesday, November 28, 2001
Hadley rage 'frightening'
By SARAH GREEN, TORONTO SUNRalph Hadley had a frightening temper with mood swings from tranquility to full-blown rage in mere seconds, a coroner's inquest heard yesterday.
Lawyer Ken Dutka, who represented Gillian Hadley in family court, said he saw Hadley lose his temper twice -- once outside the courthouse as his wife smoked a cigarette.
"He could go from zero to 60 with his temper. The transformation could be very frightening," Dutka said. "He was literally scarlet for 30 seconds or so, then it abated."
CHARGED WITH ASSAULT
These incidents occurred before Jan. 7, 2000 when Hadley, 34, was charged with assaulting Gillian, 35, and ordered to have no contact with her.
The family court proceedings stemmed from allegations that Hadley abused his severely disabled stepson. Criminal charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm were withdrawn Dec. 15, 1999 when Hadley signed a peace bond.
"It was very frightening to me," Dutka said. "People look at this as a domestic violence situation, but for the longest time, it was a child abuse case."
But Dutka said Hadley was "invariably" polite to him and brought him coffee a couple of times.
The inquest continues today.
Copyright © 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership.