March 30, 2006

Alleged abuse victim testimony would turn Cornwall inquiry into trial: lawyer

CANADA
Canada.com

Tara Brautigam, Canadian Press
Published: Wednesday, March 29, 2006

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP) - Alleged child abuse victims should not take the stand at an eastern Ontario inquiry into the handling of such accusations because it would effectively retry a retired priest, a lawyer argued Wednesday.

"For them to come here and now make a criminal accusation against our client and to leave it at that without more would not be a full inquiry," said Giuseppe Cipriano, a lawyer for Rev. Charles MacDonald.

The retired priest was accused of being part of a group of pedophiles that allegedly victimized children for decades, but charges against him were stayed in May 2002 after a judge ruled his right to a speedy trial had been violated.

A lengthy police investigation in the 1990s concluded that there was no evidence of a pedophile ring.

Posted by kshaw at March 30, 2006 08:12 AM