‘can’t Walk Away from It’: Historic Child Abuse Crimes Haunt Retired Sask. Pastor

CTV
April 14, 2017

http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/can-t-walk-away-from-it-historic-child-abuse-crimes-haunt-retired-sask-pastor-1.3368592

Henry Clarke’s past is coming back to haunt him.

The retired Meadow Lake pastor, who’s still living in the Saskatchewan community, was recently hand-delivered a letter from a BBC reporter stating he was publicly named in a Northern Ireland government inquiry into historical institutional abuse.

The inquiry reports Clarke sexually abused three boys while working for Bawnmore and Firmount children’s homes in the 1970s and at his parents’ home in 1968, according to the letter. The BBC was hoping to speak with Clarke about the report.

Henry Clarke, a retired Meadow Lake pastor who admits to sexually abusing three boys in the U.K. before moving to Canada in 1977, was recently named in a Northern Ireland government inquiry into historical institutional abuse. (Angelina Irinici/CTV Saskatoon)

“You can’t walk away from it. It’s always part of you. There’s something always there reminding you of what you’ve done,” Clarke told CTV Saskatoon. “What I did, I did. I’m very ashamed of that.”

He did speak with BBC, and last week the broadcaster published several stories on Clarke and the abuse cases. CTV sat down with him Wednesday afternoon.

The 74-year-old doesn’t deny the accusations. He admits to sexually abusing the three boys in Northern Ireland before moving to Canada in 1977.

“You can’t go back and take things back,” he said. “You do it, then you have to live with the consequences, and we actually thought the consequences were going to be a lot worse.”

Clarke first became aware he was being investigated by Northern Ireland police a few years after arriving to Canada.

Two police officers came to his door in Ontario, where he was living at the time, to speak with him. He initially denied the allegations, but while visiting the U.K. years later, in 1985, he admitted during a police interview to abusing two boys.

A follow-up letter he sent weeks later to the Royal Ulster Constabulary — a now-defunct police force in Northern Ireland — informed investigators of his abuse of a third boy.

His passport was confiscated by Northern Ireland police after his initial confession, but nothing was done and he was allowed to return to Canada 10 days later. Too much time had passed for Clarke to be prosecuted, he said.

One of the boys, now 61, called Clarke a “monster” and told the BBC he was 12 years old when he was abused. He wants to see justice, he said.

“You just had to stay away from him,” Billy Brown told the broadcaster. He waived his right to anonymity.

“You went to bed at night. You pulled your blankets around you as tightly as you could.”

RCMP would not confirm to CTV if officers are investigating Clarke and said police won’t comment on an investigation unless it results in charges being laid. One of the BBC pieces published after the broadcaster’s interview with Clarke states RCMP weren’t alerted of the allegations until 2016, but the RCMP did not confirm that information to CTV.

Clarke, who told CTV he took exception to Brown’s characterization, claims he was never violent and only abused each boy once, but one of the BBC reports claims Brown — who was abused while at Bawnmore — said he was abused twice by Clarke.

Clarke also claims he’s never abused any other boys and no boys since he’s moved to Canada, but he admits he still feels pedophilic urges.

“I’ve never been able to understand what it is within you that gives you these very wrong urges,” he told CTV, saying he fights the urges when they return.

“I walk away. I talk to myself and get myself straight in my head and walk away, carry on.”

He said he regrets the abuse. He was also sexually abused.

“I know the feelings that I’ve carried and I really should have seen that when I in turn offended,” he said. “I would tell them how sorry I really am. I mean that. I really am sorry.”

Clarke married around the time of the abuses. He and his wife had two sons before moving to Canada and adopting another son.

His wife helped him admit to the abuse in 1985, but his three sons did not find out about the crimes until the BBC interview.

“I’m really sorry that I brought this upon my wife and my family, and then with absolute sincerity, I’m sorry I’ve brought it on the community,” Clarke said.

Some members of the Meadow Lake community have been supportive since learning of his past, according to Clarke. He plans to remain in the city. He said he’s received supportive phone calls and hasn’t experienced any aggressive or threatening behaviour from others.

Mervin Johnson worked with Clarke when the former pastor was with Meadow Lake’s Alliance Church. Johnson was a board member.

“I have to say I was really shocked,” Johnson said of the BBC stories.

Johnson currently sits on the board of a non-profit Clarke was the head of until 2012.

“I thought he was an outstanding man. Very honest. I think the community is shocked too,” he said.

Clarke, who lived in Meadow Lake between 1982 and 1990 before moving back to the community in 2007, was ordained during his first stint in the city.

He was a pastor at Alliance Church until 1990, when he retired. He remained involved in community work upon his return to Meadow Lake.