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On 10 June 2008 Shannon Kari of the National Post reported “Judge releases Bernardo tape”.

TORONTO – She said an Ontario Superior Court judge has released copies of a videotaped interview in 2007 between Toronto police and serial killer Paul Bernardo. Justice David McCombs issued his ruling Tuesday morning after hearing arguments from various media organizations and the Crown. Copies of the interview should be available Tuesday afternoon and will be posted on the National Post Web site.

The June 2007 interview at Kingston penitentiary was part of the prosecution of Robert Baltovich leading up to his re-trial on charges of second-degree murder in the June, 1990 death of Elizabeth Bain. Mr. Baltovich was acquitted after the Crown told the jury it was calling no evidence on the day it was supposed to deliver opening arguments in the trial. The prosecution case against Mr. Baltovich was weak and, if the trial had gone ahead, the defence was going to point to Bernardo as a viable suspect in the disappearance of Ms. Bain.

A portion of the interview was played in court last year during pre-trial arguments and filed as an exhibit in the prosecution of Mr. Baltovich. Judge McCombs noted the open court principles set out "repeatedly and consistently" by the Supreme Court of Canada, in his decision to release copies of the video. "Open Justice and public scrutiny are core values in our justice system," said the judge. "Unless the press has access to court information and exhibits, they are unable to provide that information to the public," added Judge McCombs.

Bernardo has admitted to several more sexual assaults than the 11 he was convicted of at his dangerous offender hearing in 1995, in correspondence and interviews with police between 2005 and 2007. Throughout the 30-minute interview, Bernardo appeared to be obsessed with his former wife Karla Homolka and the fact she was never subjected to a lie detector test. When asked by Toronto police detectives Brad Wheeler and Darlene Coulis if he had anything to do with the disappearance of Ms. Bain, the officers received a rambling response from Bernardo, which Judge McCombs called a "non-denial denial" in court during a hearing in the Baltovich proceeding.

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