At the commissioner’s request, an early lunch break today. Hearings resumed at 1345 hours (1: 45 pm)
We heard this morning that Pat Hall really didn’t think that the evidence of Claude Marleau constituted a paedophile ring. Indeed Hall has difficulty articulating what exactly he thins constitutes a ring. He also said that with Claude’s allegations he could only perhaps see connections between three of the “alleged” abusers and that he was then left with no connections one to the other.
A recap
Claude Marleau, now a lawyer, alleged he was abused and passed around like a used to by Dr. Arthur Peachy, Sandy Lawrence, Roch Landry and Fathers Don Scott, Hollis Lapierre, Rene Dube, Kenneth Martin and Paul Lapierre.
Here’s the sequence of Claude’s abuse:
(1) He was first sexually abused when he was an 11 or twelve-year-old boy by Roch Landry, a butcher. Landry was married to the secretary at Claude’s father’s workplace.
(2) Landry introduced him to Father Lapierre. He alleges he was frequently sexually abused by Lapierre.
(3) Father Lapierre introduced him to Fathers Don Scott, Kenneth Martin and Hollis Lapierre. He was abused by all three of the priests on a number of occasions. Scott and Hollis Lapierre were Americans, both, he believes, originally from Boston;
(4) Claude alleges Father Lapierre introduced him to Rene Dube. He alleges he was molested by Dube;
(4) Father Lapierre introduced him to George “Sandy” Lawrence an organist/musician, owner of Melody Music and entertainer at a local nightclub. He alleges he was molested by Sandy Lawrence on a number of occasions;
(5) Sandy Lawrence introduced him to Dr. Arthur Peachy, a physician and coroner, to treat a urinary tract infection. He was molested by Dr. Peachy on a number of occasions;
(6) According to Claude, all of his molesters knew each other. He recalls them speaking of each other. He also testified there was no doubt in his mind that when one of the molesters introduced him to one of the others that he was being introduced to someone with the same inclination.
(7) He was also molested by another individual. This fellow told Claude that Roch Landry had told him he had had engaged in sexual activity with Claude.
So, there it is.
– Landry and Father Lapierre were friends. That’s a given.
– Father’s Lapierre, Kenneth Martin, Don Scott and Hollis Lapierre were friends. That’s a given.
– Lapierre and Dube were friends. That’s a given.
– Lapierre and Sandy Lawrence were friends. That’s a given.
– Sandy Lawrence and Dr. Peachy were friends. That’s a given.
That’s four men who for absolute sure knew each other.
How many does it take for Pat Hall to decide there’s a ring? And what did he do to find out what connections existed between the others, i.e., Peachy and Lapierre, Landry and the other clergy, Sandy Lawrence and the other clergy?
Claude said all his molesters knew each other. Claude’s a lawyer. Did Hall not believe him?
Did anyone ever check out which teachers Father Kenneth cooked up a feed of spaghetti for on a fairly regular basis? Was Marcel Lalonde one? and/or Robert Sabourin?
Martin testified at trial that the teachers used to call and ask “Do you have any spaghetti sauce available?” and they would show up, sometimes six or seven at a time.
Who were they? Does anybody know? Did anybody ever bother to check?
Did anyone check to find out if Father Martin, a very good friend of Lapierre, knew Roche Landry?
Given Dr. Peachy’ and Paul Lapierre’s love of music, did anyone check to find out if they knew each other?
How many connections does it take to constitute a ring?
More to the point, how much investigating was done to see what the connections were from one of Claude Marleau’s real or “ alleged” molester to another?
While on the stand Claude Marleau testified “If you don’t qualify the gang who abused me as a clan I don’t know what is.”
Amen to that!
Now I’ll go a step further….
What happened downstream when Project Truth officers got word from former police officer Ron Wilson that the Classical College had been investigated and was under surveillance in 1967, and that there was a ring emanating about of the college back then, and that Fathers Paul Lapierre and Don Scott were somehow implicated, and that Killer Gagnon, a good friend of Paul Lapierre, was the one and only one charged?
Why did no one follow up on that?
What of Father Charles MacDonald? Who did he know of Claude Marleau’s “alleged” molesters? Did anyone try to find out?
What of Ken Seguin? Who did he know of the group?
And what of Richard Hickerson. He was a violin virtuoso. I would guess that at the very least he knew Sandy Lawrence. The latter was an accomplished organist. He also owned a music store. I would think Hickerson and Lawrence were acquainted.
I could go on and on. But, bottom line, what efforts were undertaken to determine who knew whom? And, what in the eyes of Pat Hall constitutes a ring?
Enough for now,
Sylvia
(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)