Some of the media coverage re warrant issued for arrest of Perry Dunlop (no media was present at the 28 January 2008 hearings at Toronto Divisional Court)

Justice system ramps up fight with former cop; Arrest warrant issued after man refuses to testify at Project Truth inquiry and won't attend court

St. Catherine’s Standard (Ontario)

29 January 2008

Posted By Trevor Pritchard

An Ontario court has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Cornwall police officer Perry Dunlop.

Dunlop, who was found guilty on contempt of court charges after refusing to testify in September and October at a public inquiry in Cornwall, was a no-show Monday morning at his Ontario Divisional Court hearing in Toronto, said lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann.

In November 2007, a panel of three divisional court judges issued a court order compelling Dunlop to appear at Monday's hearing and to take the stand again at the inquiry on Jan. 14.

Dunlop - who has been credited with bringing to light dozens of allegations of historical sexual abuse in the Cornwall area - said he had no intention of returning to the inquiry.

His wife, Helen, said the couple would also not be showing up at the divisional court hearing.

The Dunlops, who now live in Duncan, B.C., have long been skeptical of how the inquiry has gone about examining the authorities' handling of those abuse allegations.

"I'm disappointed, I've done nothing wrong," Dunlop told the Canadian Press on Monday night.

"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 said.

Dunlop said he won't resist and expects to be arrested Feb. 7 or 8. The warrant for Dunlop's arrest means he will be present when the divisional court reconvenes sometime after Feb. 12, said Engelmann. "Either they (the police) will come to arrest him or he'll turn himself in," he said.

Dunlop faces a second contempt of court charge for disobeying the November court order.

The decision on that charge was postponed Monday after Engelmann argued Dunlop should appear in person to explain any "mitigating" circumstances surrounding his absences.

Commission staff have gone to great lengths to accommodate the Dunlops, said Engelmann, including covering the cost of their flights from B.C. to Ontario.

If the commission hadn't pursued the contempt charges against Dunlop, it would send a confusing message to other witnesses who have been summoned to appear at the inquiry, said Engelmann.

"We have attempted for a long time now to get Mr. Dunlop to testify," he said. "We have done so because we believe - just as almost every player in this whole inquiry - that he has important evidence to hear."

Still, the inquiry is hearing from so many people who had dealings with Dunlop that the process will soldier on with or without his evidence, said Dallas Lee, a lawyer for The Victims Group.

Warrant issued for former Cornwall police officer

Toronto Globe & Mail

The Canadian Press

January 29, 2008

Toronto -- A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former police officer who brought to light controversial allegations of rampant child sexual abuse in Cornwall, Ont.

Perry Dunlop, who now lives in Duncan, B.C., did not appear in court yesterday in Toronto to answer a charge of contempt.

That charge follows Mr. Dunlop's steadfast refusal to testify at a public inquiry probing how police and municipal officials responded to allegations of a pedophile ring in the city.

A four-year police probe of the alleged pedophile ring eventually concluded the allegations were baseless.

"I'm disappointed, I've done nothing wrong," Mr. Dunlop told The Canadian Press last night. "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."

He said he won't resist and expects to be arrested Feb. 7 or 8.

Warrant out for no-show ex-cop

Toronto Sun

29 January 2008

By TREVOR PRITCHARD, SUN MEDIA

CORNWALL -- An Ontario court has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Cornwall cop Perry Dunlop.

Dunlop, who was found guilty on contempt of court charges after refusing to testify in September and October at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, was a no-show yesterday morning at a Ontario Divisional Court hearing in Toronto, said commission counsel Peter Engelmann.

In November 2007, a panel of three divisional court judges issued a court order compelling Dunlop to appear at yesterday's hearing.

Dunlop -- who has been credited with bringing to light dozens of allegations of historical sexual abuse in the Cornwall area -- has long been skeptical of how the inquiry has gone about examining the authorities' handling of those abuse allegations.

Dunlop, who now lives in Duncan, B.C., did not return phone calls yesterday.

The warrant for his arrest means he will be present when the divisional court reconvenes sometime after Feb. 12, said Engelmann.

"Either (police) will arrest him or he'll turn himself in."

Dunlop was a Cornwall officer in 1993 when he came across documents showing one alleged sexual abuse victim received a $32,000 payout from the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese.

That led to a four-year OPP Project Truth investigation. Fifteen people were charged but only one went to jail.

Arrest warrant out for Cornwall witness

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Authorities issued a warrant yesterday for the arrest of former Cornwall police officer Perry Dunlop, who now lives in British Columbia. On Jan. 14, Mr. Dunlop defied a court order to appear at the Cornwall sex abuse inquiry to answer a previous charge of contempt, regarding his refusal to testify before the inquiry last fall. "Obviously, a second contempt charge is serious," said lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Dunlop says he won't resist arrest warrant for failing to appear in court

CNews (Canoe.ca)

28 January 2008

By THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO - A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former police officer who brought to light controversial allegations of rampant child sexual abuse in Cornwall, Ont.

Perry Dunlop, who now lives in Duncan, B.C., did not appear in court Monday in Toronto to answer a charge of contempt.

"I'm disappointed, I've done nothing wrong," Dunlop told the Canadian Press on Monday night.

"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 said.

Dunlop said he won't resist and expects to be arrested Feb. 7 or 8.

The contempt charge followed Dunlop's steadfast refusal to testify at a public inquiry probing how police and municipal officials responded to allegations of a pedophile ring operating in the city.

A four-year police probe of the alleged pedophile ring eventually concluded the allegations were baseless.

Dunlop was supposed to be sentenced Monday on the contempt charge, but instead the judge issued a bench warrant.

Lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann says the commission has recommended it not be executed until shortly before Dunlop will be back in court next month.

Dunlop says he won't resist arrest warrant for failing to appear in court

Yahoo Canada

Mon Jan 28, 9:31 PM

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO - A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former police officer who brought to light controversial allegations of rampant child sexual abuse in Cornwall, Ont.