Looking out for Cornwall Crown attorney

Murray MacDonald’s best interests 

Back in the Fall of 2000 Dick alleged he was under tremendous pressure to remove Murray MacDonald’s from the www.projecttruth2.com website.  He eventually concurred, agreeing to strike MacDonald’s name from the 13 November 1996 Ron Leroux affidavit.  Howard Yegendorf, Dick’s lawyer, was, as you will see below, one of those who, according to Dick, was pressuring to get MacDonald's name off the site.

Dick eventually yielded to the pressure apparently believing that in the long run a tampered Ron Leroux affidavit minus the name Murray MacDonald was better than nothing and still suffice to convey the essence of the Leroux allegations.  

In due course Murray MacDonald’s name was off the website version of Ron Leroux’ affidavit. 

As those new to the Cornwall sex abuse scandal and cover-up are no doubt now aware, nothing in Cornwall is straight forward, and virtually every niche of the saga is a story in itself, or a chapter in a book. So, by way of brief background to the emails listed below, Dick Nadeau’s projecttruth2.com site was not the original project truth website. In fact James Bateman launched the first projecttruth website, by April 2000 known as www.projecttruth.com, in January 2000.

My understanding is that Dick became involved with James and his site somewhere around or shortly before July 2000. Dick had attained copies of affidavits and statements of various victims.   He made contact with James and at some point James agreed to post the statements on the site as long as the victims concurred.

The statements, including the Ron Leroux affidavit, were posted by James on the site 23 July 2000.

According to information entered into evidence during the commission’s ODE to Dick, in short order Crown attorney Murray MacDonald complained about the website to Project Truth Detective Pat Hall:

On July 26th, 2000, Crown Attorney Murray MacDonald spoke to Detective Inspector Hall. According to the Will-Say report of Detective Inspector Hall, Crown Attorney MacDonald expressed concerns regarding a website entitled projecttruth.com. Crown MacDonald also stated that he felt there may have been a violation of a non disclosure order.

Shortly after James posted the statements he began to receive complaints from fearful victims and/or family members, who according to James “were in fear of being harassed and threatened by friends and/or representatives of the alleged offenders/accused and/or by the accused or charged offenders themselves.”

On 31 July/01 August 2000 James, of his own volition,  removed all the statements from www.projecttruth.com.  He posted a note:  “Since the aforementioned disclosures appeared on this website, several attempts have been initiated by ‘The Powers’ individually or through the system they represent to manipulate the disclosures, the individuals who have submitted them and this website.”

On 05 August 2000 James removed all material barring a “notation” from the site. www.projecttruth.com was essentially finished.

Some time shortly thereafter, around 25 August 2000, Dick Nadeau launched www.projecttruth2.com, a website owned and operated by Dick.  Dick, as you can see below, stayed in contact with James and seems to have discussed the pressures he was under to remove Murray MacDonald’s name.

It was in this capacity that Dick told James he had been under pressure from Howard Yegendorf to remove MacDonald’s name from the site.  Within weeks Dick succumbed to the pressure.  In return Dick felt he had bartered a deal which he could live with. He also felt that both Yegendorf and MacDonald now ‘owed’ him.

James, as you will see, was upset that a legal document had been tampered with and told Dick so.  Dick in turn was angry and gave James a piece of his mind.

. . . . .

If you happen on a copy of the Ron Leroux affidavit floating in cyberspace minus Murray MacDonald’s name, that’s a copy from the www.projecttruth2.com website in 2000 - after Dick succumbed to the pressure.

To further complicate matters there is yet a third version of that affidavit.  Some years downstream, when I am uncertain, Dick decided he had been duped by Yegendorf and sold out on his contempt of court hearing.  He decided he was fed up with the way things were going and decided to re-post the affidavit on his projectruth2.com site which, by then had long since been stripped to bare bones by court orders. Dick had Murray MacDonald’s name re-inserted, but rather than being put back where it belongs as  #5 on the list it was erroneously added as #13. 

To my knowledge, three version of the Ron Leroux affidavit exist: (1) the original and true copy with Murray MacDonald’s name as #5 on the list; (2) the tampered version which resulted after Dick was allegedly pressured by his lawyer to remove Murray MacDonald’s name; and (3) the one whereby Dick attempts to set the record straight by putting Murray MacDonald back in the affidavit, but mistakenly puts him in as #13 on the list. 

(By way of interest, over nine weeks after he had of his own volition expunged the statements from his site James Bateman was sued by Bishop Eugene Larocque et al. After two years of financial and emotional duress the action against James was discontinued with costs, Larocque et al paying 80% of James legal costs and disbursements.)

.  .  .  .  .

The emails listed below are, I believe, self explanatory. They are reproduced replete with typos and spelling errors so typical of email correspondence.  Furthermore, Dick had serious visual problems which increasingly hampered his abilities at the keyboard.  (A pdf of one exchange is available here.)

  17 September 2000 Early afternoon.

James Bateman emails Dick after a morning telephone conversation which apparently focused on the inclusion or exclusion of Crown attorney Murray MacDonald’s name on the www.projecttruth2.com website.   Dick had apparently been under a lot of pressure from various camps to remove Murray MacDonald’s name. As you will see in a subsequent email, pressure was apparently being applied by his lawyer Howard Yegendorf. The following is the relevant portion of that first email: 

...Don't get angry now!!! My question stems from my conversation with you this a.m.

a) Have you removed Murray from the "site" as a co-conspirator or potential abuser?

b) Does Howard still want you to remove Murray from the site?

c) Is Murray and are other's going to be taken off the site or not put on the site because of the civil action or because Howard has asked you to do so?

17 September 2000 Evening 

To: Dick Nadeau and Howard, Lawyer for Dick Nadeau:

Dear Dick;

Today, September 17, 2000, I have learned from you Dick, (see enclosed herewith), that you and your lawyer, Howard, have made particular "arrangements" surrounding publications you made on website

With particularity, you have disclosed that you and Howard made a specific "arrangement" , to remove any and all references that may implicate Cornwall Crown Prosecutor, Murray McDonald in part or in whole. Please note that it was less than 2 weeks ago when you disclosed that Howard was trying to compel you to remove any references to Murray and you stated to me that, it was bullshit, and you would never remove anything about Murray, Furthermore, you stated to me that Murray was just as guilty as everyone else. I am not sure what other "arrangements" you may have made with Howard and/or anyone else. Also, every statement/testimonial which was entered on www.projecttruth2.com was provided by you Dick. Therefore; please remove any references to my name on your website www.projecttruth2.com and remove any writings which you placed on www.projecttruth2.com which I forwarded to you with disk www.projecttruth2.com or subsequent to the disk being sent to you.

Thank-you for your cooperation,

James (Jamie) Bateman

18 September 2000

A disgruntled Dick replies to James’ observation that the Ron Leroux Affidavit has been tampered.  

From:  "Dick Nadeau" <dicknadeau@sympatlco.ca>

To:      "James P. Bateman" <jamespbateman@sprint.ca

Sent:    Monday, September l8, 2000 7:14 PM Subject: Re: Ron Leroux Affidavit False

Grow up Jamie. You're too self-centered and self-absorbed. I have to make the decisions. It's my ass on the line. Do you understand that "the end justifies the means'"? All they know is how to cut deals. The result of this deal is that I have Howard asking or telling me to obstruct justice with the acquiessence of Murray. Thay bot h owe favours now and they would not want this arrangement to go public. One of the urnmediate benefits was that of Howard taking Eric Leroux' case. The others will come as we see openings to play that card. I agonized over this and discussed it thoroughly with several people. I'm positive you were made aware. I've orchestrated all of this so far and with some degree of success. Look at the big picture and don't be so myopic on the subject s of ethics and idelism. These are bastard we're fighting and they'll cut all the deals /necessary to get us, the victims. Don't forget that I am a victim/survivor and I want thyese monsters a hell of a lot more than you do. So forgive this small transgrettion. In the sum of it all, it means nothing. Stay focused. Don't destroy the messenger with your anger, your sense of betrayal, and your pride of course. Pm playing hardball with these guys. Maybe you don't have the stomach for it. You're very volatile, Jamie, and you strike out in anger like the rest of us when we feel done it by somebody we thought we could trust, Get over it. Dick„

 James P. Bateman wrote: 

Incredibly, the Leroux affidavit on has been amended to exclude #5 Murray MacDonald. What other arnendements with documents have taken place? 

This is a very serious tampering, of course only in my opinion.

Thank-you both very much for your alliances over the past months. I wish you all the best of luck, however, please do not count on me for any further moral support or feedback in this matter.

As it is easy to alter site information; I request that any references of me be deleted immediately and any theoretical information I have provided, be withdrawan from the site immediately,

Sincerely,

James P. Bateman