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Furlong sexual abuse suit questioned as documents reveal conflicting claim
By Mark Hume
Documents filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia have raised questions about a man’s claim he was sexually abused by former Vancouver Olympics CEO John Furlong. Last year, Mr. Furlong was accused of abuse by the man, who has asked that his identity be withheld by the media, and by two women, Beverly Abraham and Grace West, who did not seek anonymity. The three accusers filed suits against Mr. Furlong, the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of Prince Rupert and Catholic Independent Schools Diocese of Prince George, saying they were abused when Mr. Furlong was their teacher at Immaculata Elementary School in Burns Lake in 1969-70. But in a 2005 document filed with the Indian residential schools dispute resolution process, the man claims he was at a different school in 1969-70, in a different community, where he was sexually abused by a Catholic brother. “In 1969 when I was nine years old and attending Lejac Residential, there was a brother [who] … would call me to his office,” states the compensation claim, which graphically describes acts of sexual assault. “This abuse happened ten times over three years.” Lejac, which closed in 1976, was in Fraser Lake, 70 kilometres west of Burns Lake, where Mr. Furlong worked. Mr. Furlong moved from Immaculata to Prince George College, 160 kilometres west of Fraser Lake, in 1971. In the residential school compensation claim, the man states he was a student at Lejac from 1966 to about 1975, before moving to Prince George College in 1978. “The abuse did not end at Lejac,” he states in the form, claiming that he was also sexually abused at Prince George College by a Catholic father. In his residential school compensation claim, he names the Catholic father and brother – but does not mention Mr. Furlong or Immaculata. He claims to have suffered physical injuries and says he complained to police in Prince George but: “I was not believed. They told me that a priest would not do such a thing.” The residential school compensation claim was obtained by Mr. Furlong’s legal team during the disclosure process and was filed in an application that sought a court order to get the accuser’s medical and police records. “I believe that if I had not been sexually abused at Lejac, my life would be different now,” the man states in the residential school claim. “I am angry inside and I want to hurt others. I believe my anger comes from my abuse.” Also included in court files are partial transcripts from provincial court hearings last September related to the man’s conviction for forging cheques. Those records show court was told he got a residential schools compensation payment of $129,000. The man’s claim against Mr. Furlong – and the one brought by Ms. West – remain before B.C. Supreme Court, with a joint trial date set for March 30. In a response filed last year, the Catholic diocese stated there is no record of Ms. West attending Immaculata in 1969-70. Mr. Furlong’s legal team is expected to apply on Jan. 29 for Ms. West’s claim to be dismissed. Ms. West and the man could not be located for comment. The court record shows Mr. Furlong’s lawyer has complained several times about not being able to contact them. The other accuser, Ms. Abraham, withdrew her claim in a hearing on Dec. 19. In an interview, she said stress in her personal life made it too difficult to proceed. On Dec. 19, Jason Gratl, the lawyer who has been representing the three accusers, was granted an application to withdraw from the case. He has declined to comment, as has Claire Hunter, Mr. Furlong’s lawyer. The sexual abuse allegations against Mr. Furlong surfaced last year after he launched a libel suit over a 2012 Georgia Straight article by freelance journalist Laura Robinson, and she counter-sued him for defamation. In the disputed report, he is accused of physically abusing students in the 1960s and 1970s.
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