CRIME: Former teacher, principal of St. Charles College
Sudbury Star (online edition – posted around 10:30 am))
22 May 2010
Posted By LARA BRADLEY AND HAROLD CARMICHAEL THE SUDBURY STAR
A former teacher and principal of St. Charles College in Sudbury has been charged with sexually abusing a child in Windsor more than two decades ago.
Rev. William Hodgson (Hod) Marshall, 87, appeared in court Wednesday to face a charge of sexual abuse for incidents that occurred during a period he was working at a Windsor school from 1981 to 1985, the Windsor Star reported.
It is unclear at which school Marshall was serving during the years the alleged incidents took place and it is unknown whether his alleged victim was a student.
Windsor police said the investigation started “a while back,” but police were unable to share details of the case, the newspaper reported.
According to the Canadian Catholic Church Directory, Marshall taught at St. Charles College from 1967 to 1969, then served as principal in 1973-74 and returned in 1980.
He served at St. Mary’s College in Sault Ste. Marie in 1985-86.
According to the Windsor Star, Marshall, a Basilian priest, was the first principal of Holy Names high school in that city when it opened in 1986.
The year before, he worked out of the former St. Hubert elementary school, where the pioneering group of Holy Names students attended classes until their new school was available.
He principal of Holy Names until at least 1989. By 1993, he retired from the school system and moved to St. Lucia to carry out missionary work.
Ma r s h a l l retired from the public ministry in 1997 and moved to a residence for Basilian priests in Toronto, the Star said.
A statement from the religious order expressed sympathy for any victims of sexual abuse.
“The Basilian Fathers are deeply concerned and regretful that one of their members is alleged to have abused a minor,” reads a statement issued by the General Council of the Congregation of Priests of St. Basil.
“Our hearts and minds turn immediately to the victim who has come forward.”
The General Council of the Congregation of Priests of St. Basil is asking anyone with knowledge of improper conduct involving Marshall to contact Father Richard Wahl at 713- 341-5564 713- 341-5564.
The organization stated it will provide financial support for restorative therapy for any victims of Marshall or any other Basilian.
Staff Sgt. Rick Waugh of the Greater Sudbury Police Criminal Investigations Branch would not confirm or deny Friday that Marshall was being investigated by the service for any historical sexual assault allegations that may have occurred in Greater Sudbury.
“We don’t release names until the charges are laid and information is released in the courts,” he said.
Waugh said the branch puts a lot of its resources into sexual assault investigations, with at least one new allegation being received each week.
“Sexual assault-type investigations, whether they are historical or not, occupy at least two-thirds of our resources at the Criminal Investigations Branch,” he said. “Sexual assaults -we take them very seriously. It’s a crime against a person. Clearly, it’s a major-case investigation.”
In 2002, a former St. Charles College student was awarded more than $10,000 in damages related to alleged sexual assaults he said he suffered at the hands Marshall.
Tadeusz (Ted) Holland was also awarded costs and interest in Small Claims Court in Sudbury.
Holland filed the claim against the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Marshall, seeking compensation for psychotherapy sessions he said he needed to deal with the psychological effects of the sexual assaults.
The Small Claims Court judge said because neither defendant filed a defence and because Holland had provided proof of his costs, she had to rule in his favour.
The Catholic board later filed an appeal, but the result of that action has never been made public.
Holland sought the maximum $10,000 in damages the Small Claims Court could award at the time. He said he had taken 106, one-hour psychotherapy sessions since March 1998 at a cost of $105 each.
The total cost came to about $11,130.