It was an emotional day for a man charged in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a 12-year-old Peterborough girl, as he made his first court appearance in relation to the case on Thursday.
Stanley James Tippett, 32, was in court after being arrested on Wednesday. He's charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. He has prior convictions for harassing two women.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Tippet could be seen mouthing "I love you" towards his wife. At times he put his hands on his face and took several deep breaths.
In 1999, he told a Toronto newspaper he was a suspect in the murder of 15-year-old Sharmini Anandavel, saying police had searched his home and car. He was not charged in connection with the case, which remains unsolved.
The 12-year-old Peterborough victim in the current case was reported missing at 1:35 a.m. on Wednesday. She had been at a birthday party and was supposed to stay with her grandmother that night.
She was later found by police at Courtice Secondary School, about 40 minutes from Peterborough. A neighbour called police at 2:20 a.m. after hearing screams from the schoolyard.
Police say she's recovering in hospital with "very traumatizing" but non life-threatening injuries.
His wife, Natalie Tippett, says she's shocked to hear of the charges because her husband said he had been carjacked the night the girl went missing.
"He said they threw him out of a vehicle near Bowmanville and they walked him along railroad tracks," says Natalie Tippett, noting she has not spoken to her husband since his arrest.
He also told her he was out late that night because he had to get a blood transfusion at a Toronto hospital, she says.
His wife says the family of seven will do its best to move forward through what will likely be another rough patch.
"I feel angry," she says, describing the past 24 hours as "a living hell."
"I want to know the truth," she says.
She explained to her oldest son that his father is facing charges related to a horrible crime, she says.
"Ryan says, 'I don't believe my dad would ever do that to a girl," says Natalie Tippett, holding a baby in her arms during the interview.
"It just breaks my heart."
Outside of the courthouse, Tippett's mother Susan Anderson says she is ashamed of her son.
"I'm considering him not my son," Anderson says. "Lock him in jail and throw away the key."
Stanley Tippett will appear in court for a bail hearing on Monday.
