Man Refuses to Testify at Ont. Pedophile Probe
Province
February 18, 2008
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=15336b82-ba46-4b7a-9ef6-dad499f04832
DUNCAN — RCMP arrested former Cornwall, Ont., police officer Perry Dunlop yesterday as about 75 supporters looked on.
Shouts of, "You're our hero!" and, "We love you, Perry!" came from the crowd as Dunlop walked arm-in-arm with his wife, Helen, to a squad car outside their Duncan home.
The RCMP were executing a Canada-wide warrant for Dunlop, 43, who has refused to testify at a Cornwall sex-abuse inquiry.
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| Perry Dunlop hugs his wife, Helen, before being taken into custody by RCMP at his Duncan home. Photo by Debra Brash |
Dunlop says he's lost faith in the system. "It's toxic. It's a toxic environment. They'll twist my words," he said yesterday.
"There are too many people being silent, and [there are] these high-priced lawyers who are professional spin doctors, and they just pound and pound and pound."
After an hour-long rally, in which the Dunlops and their three daughters portrayed themselves as victims being persecuted for attempting to protect children from pedophiles, they called the RCMP, telling them Perry Dunlop was at home and inviting them to come and arrest him.
When police showed up, Perry Dunlop initially refused to go because the officers could not produce the arrest warrant, which they said they had left at the detachment.
He agreed to go when two other officers arrived with the paperwork.
Helen Dunlop said the Ontario government has poured millions of dollars into an inquiry designed to protect the establishment.
An Ontario judge issued the arrest warrant after Dunlop disobeyed a court order to appear before a public inquiry into sexual-abuse allegations that he helped to investigate as a police officer in the 1990s.
Because it was his investigation that first alleged child abuse by prominent members of Cornwall society — including a priest, a lawyer and a Crown prosecutor — Dunlop's testimony is seen as key to the inquiry.
Dunlop maintains that when he first drew attention to the alleged abuse, there was a reluctance by anyone to act. He later provided details of the case to the media and the Children's Aid Society. That led to his being ostracized and forced out of the city force, he says.
The stress led to an emotional breakdown. He and his family moved to Duncan in 2000.
The Ontario Provincial Police ended a four-year probe by concluding there was no organized pedophile ring.
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