Admission Of Lies At Inquiry

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

June 28, 2007 — A Cornwall Public Inquiry witness admits he lied to police. Ron Leroux claims he was abused by a number of clergy members while growing up in the city. During today's testimony, Leroux admits he falsely connected local prominent men to events surrounding alleged sexual abuse in the area. He says he signed statements and affidavits he knew were untrue. Leroux made the admission during questioning by Lead Commission Counsel Peter Engelmann (see clip below). A couple of men were investigated in regards to Leroux's allegations but no one was charged.
Click here to listen to audio clip

Terri Saunders

Local News - A list of names of area men purported to comprise a clan of pedophiles began to crumble like a falling house of cards at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Thursday.

Ron Leroux told the commission several of the names on a list of priests, police officers, lawyers and businessmen he has often claimed in the past he saw in a variety of locations in various groupings and whom he claimed to have witnessed sexually assaulting young boys don't belong there.

"That's why I'm here today - to set the record straight," said Leroux. "I'm taking the blame for some of this mess."

Outside the hearing, a lawyer for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese said Leroux's testimony is proof many of the pillars upon which rumours of a clan of pedophiles having operated in the city for years have no foundation.

David Sherriff-Scott said the community has long been held captive by the existence of this list of prominent people alleged to be pedophiles, claims these men gathered together to both abuse young children and "control" the situation and Leroux's allegations he'd witnessed the "spectre of dark, ritual abuse" of young boys.

"(These) are three things that have gripped the collective conscience of this community," said David Sherriff-Scott. "These things have now been shown to be false and this is extraordinary . . . for the community."

Many of the names Leroux said don't belong on the list are those of area priests the man has claimed in the past he saw in the company of Ken Seguin, a deceased probation officer or Malcolm MacDonald, a deceased Crown attorney.

Both Seguin and MacDonald have been alleged to have sexually assaulted young boys. Seguin committed suicide in 1994 before any charges were laid against him, while MacDonald died in Florida several months after being charged with a number of sex-related offences by the OPP's Project Truth team.

Leroux also testified he never used the phrase "clan of pedophiles" and couldn't understand why it would appear in affidavits he's signed in the past.

"Those words - 'clan of pedophiles' - those words didn't come from me," said Leroux. "I didn't orchestrate this."

During testimony Wednesday, Leroux suggested former city cop Perry Dunlop and his lawyer, Charles Bourgeois, added comments to Leroux's statements without his knowledge.

On Thursday, Leroux conceded he may have actually provided the two men with the information contained in the statements.

"I might have told them I saw it," said Leroux, referring to statements he's alleged to have made in the past about having witnessed a group of prominent men performing bizarre sexual rituals involving young boys.

Leroux also confirmed he went on to repeat the statements to investigators and never once told them portions were inaccurate.

"You knew that making allegations (against) people without any evidence could have caused these people great harm," said Peter Engelmann, lead commission counsel.

"That's correct," said Leroux.

"Why did you do that?" asked Engelmann.

"I had a lawyer with me," said Leroux, referring to Bourgeois. "He said, 'Just read it. Just do it.'"

Sherriff-Scott said many of the priests whose names appeared on the list have been following the inquiry to some extent. He said he believes they have been somewhat exonerated by Leroux's testimony after having spent years living under a dark cloud and having been labeled as pedophiles.

"They are concerned, not just about themselves, but about the community," he said. "I'm sure upon hearing this today they will be very relieved."