Retired priest faces new charges

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Sudbury Star

13 October 2010

By CAROL MULLIGAN THE SUDBURY STAR

WINDSOR STAR FILE PHOTO August 12, 2986 — File photo of Rev. William Hodgson Marshall when he was principal at Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor, Ont. on Aug. 12, 1986. Marshall is facing sexual abuse charges involving a minor. (FILE PHOTO – SCOTT WEBSTER/ THE WINDSOR STAR)

A man who says a former city priest sexually abused him is glad the priest is facing charges, but is disappointed it took so long.

Ted Holland, 55, first complained to Sudbury Regional Police in July 1998 about sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his high school teacher, Father William Marshall, when Holland was in Grade 9 at St. Charles College.

Greater Sudbury Police Ser- vice said Wednesday Marshall has been charged with six counts of gross indecency and six counts of indecent assault related to incidents involving six former students.

The assaults are alleged to have occurred between Jan- uary 1960 and December 1970 in Sudbury. Marshall, 88, is facing similar charges in Windsor and Toronto.

The Windsor Star reported Wednesday that Marshall’s defence lawyer, Andrew Bradie, wants all charges transferred to Windsor. A call to Bradie on Wednesday by The Star was not returned.

Holland said he is willing to travel to Windsor to testify.

“That would rest fine with me,” he said.

Holland is a teacher himself, on compensation with the Simcoe-Muskoka District Catholic Board, where he taught Grade 7 and 8.

While he is grateful charges have finally been laid against Marshall, Holland said he is “mad as hell with his enablers — former teachers who were aware of this and did nothing to stop this,” he said.

“I’m very angry at teachers who allowed this to happen.” Today, teachers are required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect, but that was not the case in 1969 when Holland was in his first year of high school.

Staff Sgt. Al Asunmaa of Greater Sudbury Police said it is not clear yet how the charges against Marshall will be handled. The Crown office in Sudbury is discussing with Marshall’s lawyer how and where he will surrender on the charges. Asunmaa said his service should know Thursday or Friday if Sudbury officers must go to Toronto to bring Marshall back, or whether Marshall will be processed in Toronto.

Rob Talach, a lawyer with the London, Ont., law firm Ledroit Beckett Litigation Lawyers, represents several alleged victims of historic sexual abuse in suits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

Talach said it often takes decades for victims to come forward.

For years, many victims “try and forget, blame themselves or feel that they won’t be believed because of the prestige of the person accused.

“I have often witnessed a landslide of victims coming forward after one or two have stepped from the shad- ows. This is because the doubt that they will be believed evaporates with each new allegation, victim or charge.”

cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

______________________

Former Sault priest faces new charges

The Sault Star

14 October 2010

By CAROL MULLIGAN, QMI AGENCY

A man who says a former city priest sexually abused him is glad the priest is facing charges, but is disappointed it took so long.

Ted Holland, 55, first complained to Sudbury Regional Police in July 1998 about sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his high school teacher, Father William Marshall, when Holland was in Grade 9 at St. Charles College.

Marshall was principal at St. Mary’s College in the Sault between 1980 and 1985.

Greater Sudbury Police Service said Wednesday Marshall has been charged with six counts of gross indecency and six counts of indecent assault related to incidents involving six former students. The assaults are alleged to have occurred between January 1960 and December 1970 in Sudbury.

Marshall, 88, is facing similar charges in Windsor and Toronto.

The Windsor Star reported Wednesday that Marshall’s defence lawyer, Andrew Bradie, wants all charges transf e r re d to Windsor. A call to Bradie on Wednesday was not returned.

Holland said he is willing to travel to Windsor to testify.

“That would rest fine with me,” he said.

Holland is a teacher himself, on compensation with the Simcoe-Muskoka District Catholic Board, where he taught Grade 7 and 8.

While he is grateful charges have finally been laid against Marshall, Holland said he is “mad as hell with his enablers — former teachers who were aware of this and did nothing to stop this,” he said.

“I’m very angry at teachers who allowed this to happen.”

Today, teachers are required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect, but that was not the case in 1969 when Holland was in his first year of high school.

One of the reasons he became a teacher is to protect students from the type of abuse he said he suffered.

Staff Sgt. Al Asunmaa, of Greater Sudbury Police, said it is not clear yet how the charges against Marshall will be handled.

The Crown office in Sudbury is discussing with Marshall’s lawyer how and where he will surrender on the charges. Asunmaa said his service should know Thursday or Friday if Sudbury officers must go to Toronto to bring Marshall back, or whether Marshall will be processed in Toronto.

Holland said he knows two of the complainants in the Sudbury charges and has made contact with other people via Internet who claim to have been sexually abused by the priest.

When he entered St. Charles in 1969, Holland said other stud e nt s warned him about a teacher they called “Happy Hands” Marshall. He said he thought students were warning him that if he left school at 3:10 p.m. without his homework, the priest would “grab me by the neck” and make him take it home.

A former police officer, some people ask Holland why he didn’t complain about the sexual abuse while he was on the force. But he said that was the last thing on his mind at the time.

Rob Talach, a lawyer with the London, Ont., law firm Ledroit Beckett Litigation Lawyers, represents several alleged victims of historic sexual abuse in suits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. Some of his clients have won settlements from the diocese for cases not related to Marshall.

Talach said it often takes decades for victims of sexual abuse to come forward “where the alleged perpetrator is a person in the position of trust and authority like that of a priest and educator.”

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9 Responses to Retired priest faces new charges

  1. Michel B. says:

    I was so glad to hear that men from Sudbury had come forward and made their pain known. As a crisis worker at Sudbury Regional Hospital I met some of these individuals and they had such hurt in their hearts. Over and over they would be contemplating suicide and have terrible battles with alcoholism and their memories. Strong articulate men well educated caring and concerned and such wonderful people when sober. Yet the breach of trust, the trap of consolation through alcohol dependence and then the bewilderment made them feel hopeless and helpless. I hope that many more in my Sudbury come forward and are reconcilled and helped by asking society to give them their rightful protection through our laws and then as result feel empowered to return to their faith and draw nearer to God. Bravo men of Sudbury stand and be counted your worthy of every dignity you so deserve.

  2. John says:

    Michel….I have sat with this post of yours up on my computer for most of the day. I have been through the whole court process down here in Cornwall, and would have loved to have someone like you to corroberate my testimony. The most important thing that you could do for these guys RIGHT NOW is pick up the phone and call the Sudbury Police Dept. and report what you know. You are like gold to these guys right now.

    Michel, I am begging you, do these guys justice by picking up the phone right NOW and reporting.

    John Mac Donald

  3. Michel B. says:

    Hi John, I really am caught between a rock and a hard place with this issue. I have a responsibility to keep confidential their sacred trust. The individuals who shared did not ask for me to disclose the abuse and did not identify this particular perpetrator, they did however make it clear it was a priest from St. Charles College. Given their ages I am pretty sure it’s the man subject to this post. My role in their lives was to keep them safe and advocate for their admission and to then provide them with resources to overcome some of the obstacles to getting well, support and direction in disclosing, AA and treatment centers that deal with abuse issues ect.. I am relieved that some media coverage has come to bear on the Sudbury abuses and I pray that these fellows are the individuals who have come forward. If not that they take this disclosure by their classmates as a call of strenght for them to become empowered by their courage and stand with their peers. The best I can do is indicate that I was informed of abuse within that school system however without the specific disclosure of the perp it would be for not. I cannot disclose the specifics out of my professional responsibility as I must to adhere to a code of ethics. Please, please, forgive me, I am willing to come forward if I become aware of these persons names and and then offer support by calling them and I will be keeping abreast of this for sure, regardless, if the court process occurs in Sudbury I will be sitting and attendence.

    I hope you have been able to find support from men and women with whom you shared and that others like yourself have been able to come together and heal. Your courage and those who share your experience will make your faith and the choice of your place of worship strong once again someday. Again I ask that you try to understand how this needs to play out in terms of legal and social processes. I am just so glad that dialogue and charges have been set in motion.

    Michel Bertrand

  4. John says:

    Michel:

    From reading your post I think I understand what your position was at the time. I have a few questions and comments……

    Questions..
    Did you keep files?
    Are the men aware that your kept files?

    Comments..
    I feel that the worst thing that you could do would be to just show up at the trial or contact the victims before the trial. It would look like collusion.
    Be upfront about things. Contact the Crowns’ office in Sudbury and say that there should be files (if you kept them).

    To me, it is better to put it in the hands of authorities that you MAY have information than to sit with it.

    John Mac Donald

  5. Michel B. says:

    Yes and Yes but I still can’t disclose names to the Crown. I will give it some thought on how to disclose in general that information are in files. The crown may be able to requisition information if the accussers indicate having sought assisstance. Got to think on this a bit.

    Michel

  6. John says:

    Michel: Thats all that could be hoped for. Thank you for giving it some thought. May I just add though, that if you do get in touch with authorities, that you do it by e-mail or registered mail, and asking for a reply to your correspondence.

    John

  7. Reality Checker says:

    I can see and understand Michel’s dilema regarding disclosure. There are privacy and confidentiality issues at play here. However, (and it’s just a thought)I assume Michel that you belong to some regulatory body or professional association? You mention that you worked for Sudbury Regional Hospital.
    What would happen if you went to any of them and disclosed that you have became aware of criminal activity and the victimization of some your clients in the course of your duties – that there are privacy issues at stake and because of those privacy issues you feel you cannot disclose names – there has to be an Ethics committee at Sudbury Hospital or some other department (department head) that can assist with this disclosure dilema. What about CAS??? As a professional you are in the same frame as Perry Dunlop was – YOU HAVE A DUTY TO REPORT!!!

    I QWISH THE SYSTEM MADE IT EASIER!!!

  8. Michel B. says:

    After sleeping on this I feel this is the how I can help. I will send a note to a contact I have with the Crowns office indicating to him that if the men who have come forward did attend to the hospital for mental health services some documentation is available from men who have indicated being abused by a priest at St. Charles College. I will indicate that they did not name the present cleric up on charges but that they where in significant distress. Second, on the suggestion of involvement of the CAS it is not an option as the men are older than I am, 53 and the priest in question was no longer teaching hence the CAS would not be able to act on historical abuse issues as no children are at risk now. Finally, John maybe I was misunderstood, If the guys in question’s names become known to me I would offer support in letting them know by correspondence that I would be prepared to testify based on their presentations and my notes. Regardless if not as any community member I will attend court out of interest as this has awaken a sense of duty to bear witness and add my support to victims of these types of events.

  9. John says:

    Michel……I guess what I was trying to say as far as you just showing up at court is, IF a victim is testifying and sees you then suddenly remembers that he in fact did disclose to you years back, then the trial MAY come to a sudden halt with disclosure issues.

    IMHO, I think that contacting the Crowns’ office is the proper way to go, but again, just ask for a reply. That way you know someone has laid eyes on the information that you forwarded.

    Lastly, and this note is to ALL victims of Marshall. If you think that you may have disclosed to any professional over the years, GET THOSE NOTES, or at least make the Crown or the police aware that there MAY be notes.

    John

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