The Scissors Lady

Shoshana Berman, a top Liberal Party blogger (according to the Globe and Mail) and Ken Dryden supporter, is apparently starring in a new horror flick:



Here's the story, written by Scott Tracey in the Guelph Mercury, and published on April 21, 2006, on page A04:

Son feared mom, court hears
Fourteen-year-old boy was scared his mother 'might hurt me . . . if I stayed'

A Guelph mother held her teenage son in a headlock while cutting off a chunk of his hair, then grabbed the boy by the jaw before saying she wished she'd had an abortion, a court heard yesterday at the start of the woman's trial.

Sacha Fabry, 14, testified he was at his mother Shoshana Berman's home last Sept. 5. The boy said his mother asked him to come into the front room of her home so she could cut his hair, and that he refused and said he did not want his hair cut.

The diminutive boy told the court Berman reacted to this by repeatedly swearing and calling him names, including "jerk" and "bastard."

Fabry said his mother grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the front room, where she pushed him into a chair.

The boy said his mother pulled a towel tightly around his neck, and when he complained it hurt, the woman instead grabbed him in a headlock.

Fabry said he continued to struggle and put his hands on his head in an attempt to prevent the haircutting. He said Berman pulled his hands away and quickly snipped off a large chunk of hair from the back of his head.

The soft-spoken boy said he went into his bedroom and his mother followed him, still carrying the scissors.

Fabry said his mom pushed him against the wall and then grabbed him by the jaw, lifting him onto the tips of his toes. He testified his mother said if he did not co-operate and let her continue cutting his hair she would kill him.

Fabry said Berman was "extremely angry" during the exchange, noting her face was red and he could see the veins popping out on her neck.

The boy said his mom finally went downstairs, calling out behind her, "I wish I had an abortion."

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

Berman, who has pleaded not guilty to assault with a weapon and has not yet presented her defence evidence, shook her head during much of her son's testimony.

Fabry said he packed a few things and left the house, walking to a nearby pay phone where he called his father, Peter.

Berman and Peter Fabry are divorced and until these allegations had joint custody of their son.

Sacha Fabry said his dad told him to go to the police station, where he met his son a short time later.

The boy said his stepfather was outside the home cutting wood at the time of the alleged assault.

He said he did not tell the man what happened inside because in the past he would get blamed when his mother was angry at him.

Berman is representing herself, but Douglas appointed local defence lawyer Joe Fera to cross-examine Sacha Fabry to prevent the woman from questioning her own son.

Under cross-examination, Fabry conceded there were differences between his statement to police and his evidence in court, including the nature of the profanity his mother is alleged to have used.

Fabry explained he was not comfortable telling police the precise words Berman used, so withheld some of them when giving his statement.

While at one point on the videotaped statement Fabry said he was not concerned his mother would hurt him, he insisted yesterday he was "scared that she might hurt me . . . if I stayed," which is why he left the house.

The trial will continue Oct. 30.

Berman objected to the lengthy adjournment "for the sake of my son," but Douglas explained this is the first available court date when there is sufficient time to hear the rest of the evidence.

Assistant Crown attorney Judith MacDonald said she has two more Crown witnesses, while Berman said she will be calling four or five defence witnesses including herself.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

But you know what's really scary? Thanks to this blogger, we now know that Shoshana Berman is in Good Standing with the Ontario College of Teachers. (Her registration number, fyi, is 283690.)

Update: Chris B. notes that she has finally admitted that she's the Shoshana Berman from Guelph with the criminal record (the events described above, plus an earlier incident in 1997 involving disturbing the peace, assault, and trespassing).

Anyway, she plans to attend the Liberal Convention in Montreal. So, as a public service, I feel obliged to warn Liberals planning to attend to watch out for this woman: