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Bowmanville Eagles are still in Sports, page 8 CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH Pressai n 21,400 14 Pages Wednesday, February 16, 2000 Optional 4 week delivery $5/$l newsstand Lawyer says Net sex 'private... no touching ' Internet sex compared to strip club BY STEPHEN SHAW Staff Writer. The lawyer for one of three Durham Region residents on trial for operating a "virtual reality bawdy house" on the Internet says live sex performances in cyberspace cyberspace are essentially no different different than inside a strip club.'. "There's really nothing differ ent than what one secs in a strip club anywhere in this country... The Net is better in terms of (community protection) in some respects. It's private, there's no touching and a person knows exactly exactly what they are getting into when accessing these shows," Tom Balka told reporters outside court yesterday. Whitby lawyer Bradly Vance, 40, of Mary Street, Oshawa, David Franklin, 36, of Mead- owvicw Boulevard, Bowmanville and Mary-Annc Cicci, 29, of Bushford Street, Courticc have pleaded not guilty to the Criminal Code offence of keeping a common common bawdy house. At issue in the landmark case is the legality of the fast-growing cyberspace sex trade. During the trial, which began Monday, court has heard Internet users could pay $5 per-minute to view nude women performing live sexual acts at an Internet Web site called the 'Sin Bin.' The Web site was based out of a second-floor office on Mary Street West in Whitby, where performers performers were videotaped and their images transmitted in "real time" to clients' computer screens, via the Net. The site claimed to have received more than 15,000 "hits," or visitors, before before being shut down by Ontario Provincial Police in 1998. Court was told Mr. Vance han dled finances and "contractual matters," Mr. Franklin managed the Mary Street "studio" and Ms. Cicci was responsible for recruiting recruiting and scheduling "entertainers." "entertainers." The charges were laid in September September 1998 after a local woman See NOTHING page 2 BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor The Municipality of Claring- ton could be the host site of Olympic field hockey if Toronto is awarded the 2008 Summer Games. A multi-million dollar open- air facility that would accommodate accommodate 7,000 spectators would be built in the Bowmanville area for the Olympics, municipal officials say. "This would be an absolute great opportunity," says Joe Caruana, director of community services for Clarington. Mr. Caruana made a proposal to the Toronto Olympic Bid Committee in late January, outlining Çjar- ington's bid. "We identified a site that met the bid criteria, and answered questions about what would be done with the field hockey venue after," the Olympics were completed, completed, says Mr. Caruana. The plan is to convert the venue into "an indoor soccer facility" facility" that would service the entire entire Durham region, he adds. In early December, Mr. Caruana Caruana wrote a report to council that listed potential venue sites that would best accommodate Olympic sports in Clarington. It was determined at that time Clarington Clarington could host as many as five events, including cycling, equestrian, equestrian, field hockey, shooting and slalom canoeing. In the report, staff proposed utilizing a future community centre site in an area near Bloor Street and Prcstonvale Road in Courticc for field hockey. The plan called for two field hockey arenas with spectator space, that would be converted to three indoor indoor soccer pitches when the Olympics concluded. The report was submitted after the Toronto Olympic Corporation Corporation invited surrounding 905 area code regions to participate in the bid process. Clarington officials are looking looking ahead to the future iri regards to development of major, facilities facilities to accommodate a growing p population. Regardless of whether Toronto Toronto is granted the Olympics, and subsequently if Clarington wins its bid to host field hockey, the development of an indoor soccer facility is certainly a strong possibility, possibility, Mr. Caruana says. ■ "If we have to expand, the land adjacent (to the site under consideration) is certainly available," available," he notes. A decision on which country will host the Games will be made in July 2001. The Clarington proposal is one of three made by Durham groups to the ,2008 Toronto Olympic Bid Corporation. Durham College is hoping to host women's softball, while the Oshawa Skeet and Gun Club has proposed holding shooting. - with files from Brian Legree A.J. GROEN/Statesman photo ■ Guides and Scouts and Cubs, oh my! I 4 ' V ; -, 1 V / . -|/> J, ■BOWMANVHoLE v- 'Students At. for. PJùsS' Tilley Public Scouts; -k-Âstina Bf union, "5th Bowmanville Girl Guides; School marked Flag Day Tuesday by saluting the nation- Nicole Mavin, 2nd Bowmanville Girl Guides; Eddie Cotai Cotai flag as it was raised. From left are Jonathan Letke, 7th treau, 2nd Bowmanville Cubs, and Reed Collif 9th Bow- Bowmanville Scouts; Aaron Townsend, 9th Bowmanville manville Cubs. Out of Africa: a lucrative scam BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer Phone Busters is warning local residents not to fall prey to a well-known African scam which is currently making the rounds via fax machine. The fax suggests people who respond could receive upwards of $4 million (US), simply by helping helping a man from Sierra Leone transfer funds out of South Africa, where he says he is currently currently living in exile. All he needs, says the fax, is a "trustworthy" "trustworthy" person to help him complete complete the transfer. According to the fax, the money was transferred transferred through diplomatic means to South Africa, but the sender is unable to access it, as laws prevent prevent people seeking political asylum asylum from exercising certain financial financial rights. But according to telemarketing telemarketing fraud specialist Cathy Desjardins Desjardins of Phone Busters, an organization organization made up of police ser vices, government and industry to help combat telemarketing fraud, the best thing to do if you receive the fax is to throw it away. The scam is similar to a Nigerian operation which has been making the rounds for five or six years. The group responsible responsible for the faxing is working from an old mailing list, and "as soon as you respond, bang -- they know your address is viable," viable," she says. The people involved immedi ately ask for the responder's income, income, and, if you appear to have enough money, suggest you meet them in Africa "and bring lots of cash for bribes" to smooth the way for the transfer with banking and government officials, says Ms. Desjardins. But instead of completing the transaction, and giving the target the promised cut of the bank transfer, Ms. Desjardins Desjardins says "they strip you of See THROW page 2 Clarington is dreaming of Olympics -vs , , - V !; - ; ; , ! ! 1«> t' 'WWf.'v * RON PIETRONIRO/Statesman photo Luke Kroonenberg, left, and John deMille enjoy some hockey action at a neighbourhood outdoor outdoor rink, built and maintained by residents Terty Wood and his neighbours in Courtice. He built it and children came Courtice dad creates a rink in the park BY JACQUIE MclNNES StaffWriter COURTICE - Some- neighbourhoods neighbourhoods are luckier than others and Highland Gardens in Courtice Courtice is one of them. The residents there have Terry Wood and his neighbours, Dave Wray and Mike Gilbert, who for the past three years have created a skating rink in the local park, "The way we were raised, there were rinks in all the parks," says Mr. Wood's wife, Shelley. "Terry always says if you build it they will come and you look out the window and there's 40 kids out there." The idea to create a rink in the park came when both Mr. Wood and one of his Dunkin Avenue neighbours realized it was silly to create separate rinks in their backyards when there was a ability and the other is only four whole park right out their back years old, Mr. Wood felt it would gates, Although the Woods' children children don't skate, as one has a dis- See page 2 Inside S|t StettintE WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Sports 8 Classified 10 Entertainment 13 GIVE US A CALL General .623-3303 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamnews.net statesmn@durham.net General FAX .. .623-6161 Newsroom FAX .623-6161 ONTARIO'S DRIVE CLEAN ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY •An ofTIclal mark of the Province of Ontario used under licence. I WHITBY - OSHAWA 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY | LOCAL (90S) TOR, LINE (90S) 1666-1772 686-1745 www.honda1.com