[Defiant]

If two crewmen saw him about to throw her over, and she was halfway over the edge, I’d say she was telling the truth initially, and changed her mind to prevent her husband from going to jail. The judge agreed with that interpretation of the recanted testimony.

[daniel1212]

She said they would often fight, typically at her instigation, which is what happened the day of the assault. She said she threatened to kill herself by jumping overboard, and White said to go ahead. She said she tried to make it look like he was hurting her, which is how they came to be struggling when the other two crew intervened.

She did not report the assault until several months later, when she spoke to police after they responded to reports that he was assaulting her on a roadside.

She was interviewed by an officer, but as she told Judge Gorman, she lied and exaggerated for two reasons: to get back at White, and to divert police suspicion from her own possession of drugs and the fact she had just driven a vehicle. She claimed she was very high during the interview, but the police officer found her sober and had no concerns about her mental state.

So Judge Gorman re-opened the trial and heard her out, but it had no effect on the convictions. He concluded Decker was not being honest, and that her recanting was “purposefully false” and designed to help her husband, who faces a significant jail sentence.

“I do not accept Ms. Decker’s evidence as being reliable or honest. - https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/n-l-skipper-found-guilty-of-trying-to-throw-wife-overboard-even-when-she-told-judge-the-story-was-made-up