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	Inquiry Tough on Van Diepen By Elisabeth Johns Standard-Freeholder January 22, 2008 http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=869314&auth=Elisabeth+Johns One night, Jos van Diepen's daughter came home crying. She said she had seen her father's name on a website that contained allegations he hung around with a gang of pedophiles at different parties in the Cornwall area. The recently retired probation officer would later lose friends because of the accusations on the website, be ostracized at work and even be spat on. His purpose in attending the Cornwall Public Inquiry over the past week has partially been to clear his name. But he told the commission Monday being at the inquiry and testifying has been anything but an easy process. "With respect to this inquiry, I'm somewhat conflicted," van Diepen said as his examination-in-chief concluded. "If a potential victim or witness were to ask me today, 'Do you think I should testify?' I am deeply conflicted to think they must proceed." "This process is extremely difficult, it's very heart wrenching," he said, adding that he had wondered if he had never said anything to police if he would be in the same situation of being falsely accused that he is in today. There was a bit of a snag at the start of van Diepen's testimony in the morning as the commission learned he had spoken to other lawyers at the inquiry about specific issues that had arisen during the last day he testified. He admitted to asking Michael Neville, counsel representing Rev. Charles MacDonald, whether there were charges against the priest for allegedly sexually abusing a 17-year-old probationer in the mid-1970s. van Diepen said he also asked Peter Chisholm, the lawyer representing the Children's Aid Society, what the rules were for people to report abuse of young persons. "Were you not aware you were not to discuss any of your evidence?" Lead Commission Counsel Peter Engelmann asked van Diepen. After taking a break, Comm. Normand Glaude advised van Diepen next time he has a concern or feels that some questions are unfair to bring it to the attention of his lawyer, who can talk about it with commission counsel. Engelmann then took van Diepen line by line through a number of statements he gave to police in 1994 and in 1998. The former probation officer said he couldn't remember saying what he said to the officers and blamed the way he was interviewed for what appeared on a statement taken by a ministry official. "You know the importance of telling (the police) the truth and being complete and accurate?" Engelmann asked, to which van Diepen replied he did. "So you're saying you would have initialed and signed (the statement)?" "Yes," van Diepen said. "Without looking at (the statement) closely." "And yet there are several changes," Engelmann said, pointing to actual changes van Diepen would have made at the time he gave his statement to ensure that at the time, the statement reflected the best of his knowledge. In one of his original statements, van Diepen claimed he knew that MacDonald was gay and alleged he knew who the priest's boyfriends were. He later revised the statement to say that he did not know who the priest's boyfriends were. Before he began cross-examination, van Diepen was able to give recommendations to the commission and his thoughts on the process. "I too am a victim," said van Diepen, who is perhaps the first individual the inquiry has heard from who said he was falsely accused. "I'm a victim of a website, I'm a victim of the media and website. I can tell you people I used to be friends with no longer talk to me." He said one of the other reasons he wanted to testify at the inquiry is " all the victims, to try and do something bright, to try and help where I think my coworkers did wrong." The coworkers van Diepen is talking about are former probation officers Nelson Barque and Ken Seguin. Barque was convicted in 1995 of sexually abusing a probationer. He was charged again with sexual abuse in 1998 and committed suicide. Seguin was accused of sexually abusing a number of probationers, but was never charged. He committed suicide in 1993. Under cross-examination, Allan Manson, the lawyer representing the group Citizens for Community Renewal, asked van Diepen how many people would have approached him over the years after discovering the controversial projecttruth.com website. "More than 50?" Manson asked. "Over the years? Yes," van Diepen replied. His cross-examination continues today. Contact: ejohns@standard-freeholder.com
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