Dunlop is expected to turn himself in

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

16 February 2008

Posted By David Nesseth; Trevor Pritchard

The lead commission counsel for the Cornwall Public Inquiry expects B.C. resident Perry Dunlop to turn himself over to police early next week to attend a contempt hearing Wednesday morning at a divisional court in Toronto.

Peter Engelmann said it's either that or the RCMP will arrest Dunlop Monday or Tuesday, then accompany him to the hearing.

"I anticipate he'll turn himself in," Engelmann said of the man credited with revealing allegations of historical sexual abuse in the Cornwall area.

Wednesday's hearing will determine a penalty for Dunlop's 2007 contempt charge and decide if he was in contempt for not showing up to testify at the inquiry on Jan. 14.

If he's found in contempt, the court will decide if it's civil or criminal contempt, both of which could land Dunlop, a former Cornwall police officer, in jail anywhere from from 15 days to a year, Engelmann said.

But Dunlop's defence at the hearing will be the critical factor.

"Obviously, he may have some mitigating circumstances to bring to the court," Engelmann said.

Dunlop wasn't available for comment Friday, but recently told the Canadian Press that he's "disappointed" and "done nothing wrong".

"To me it speaks volumes when a police officer who stood up and did his job is going to go to jail in this country," Dunlop told the news outlet.

Dunlop was a Cornwall police officer in 1993 when he came across documents showing one alleged sexual abuse victim had received a $32,000 payout from the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese. The fallout from that discovery would eventually lead to the Ontario Provincial Police launching its four-year Project Truth investigation into abuse allegations.

Fifteen people were charged under Project Truth, but only one person ever served any jail time. Wednesday's hearing is set for 10 a.m.