By Trevor Pritchard
Standard Freeholder
February 22, 2008
http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=912556
When Holly Desimone spent a week in 1996 testifying against the man who raped her, nothing was off limits.
She was asked detailed questions about her medical and sexual history. She recalled facing a defence attorney so aggressive that he practically had his finger "up (her) nose."
The court learned how her boyfriend left her after she came forward with the allegations.
And if she could survive that, said Desimone, then former city cop Perry Dunlop should find the Cornwall Public Inquiry a breeze.
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| Perry Dunlop enters the chambers of the Cornwall Public Inquiry last year. |
"No one wants to go through that process. Many abuse survivors don't even want to (come forward)," said Desimone, a Calgary-based advocate against sexual violence who has been following the Dunlop saga since 2005.
"But to make sure the proper person is convicted, that's part of the process. And Perry Dunlop knows that."
Last weekend, police arrested the 46-year-old Dunlop at his home in Duncan, B.C. on contempt charges.
The Ontario Divisional Court found Dunlop guilty in November 2007 after he refused to testify at the inquiry, which is probing the institutional response to historical sexual abuse allegations in the Cornwall area.
Dunlop's 1993 investigation into a payout by the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese to an alleged abuse victim prompted an OPP probe known as Project Truth, and has been widely considered one of the main reasons the inquiry is now taking place.
Dunlop told the Toronto court Wednesday that inquiry lawyers would "crucify" him if he took the stand - something he had no intention of doing, even if his conviction meant he could spend six months in jail.
His family had spent the past 15 years dealing with death threats and harassment, said Dunlop. Outside court, his wife Helen said he was on medication to handle the stress and vowed she wouldn't let him testify.
While many people have supported Dunlop, including the 75 who showed up to protest his arrest, others have criticized him - some quite harshly.
Desimone said Dunlop's refusal was particularly shocking given that, as a former police officer, he should know how important it is for witnesses to be cross-examined.
His attitude about the inquiry, she said, was a slap in the face for victims of sexual abuse and sexual assault who had to find the courage to testify against their perpetrators.
Desimone's rapist, Ali Rasai, was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison.
"It's appalling," said Desimone. "He (Dunlop) is making a mockery of the judicial system in this country."
Dunlop had offered to enter a written statement into evidence - something lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann described after the divisional court hearing as being the "antithesis" of what a public inquiry stands for.
"The idea that somebody could be a witness at a public inquiry and read a statement? That's not a compromise. I don't know what to say about it," said Engelmann.
Still, people shouldn't condemn Dunlop without first walking a mile in his shoes, said Jamie Marsolais, an abuse survivor who has been working to promote healing and reconciliation in Cornwall.
"I find it unfortunate that he has to spend time in prison. The whole situation I find unfortunate," said Marsolais.
"I wish there could've been some common ground, but in this situation, I guess it can't be found."
Others, like Dunlop's brother-in-law Carson Chisholm, have been unequivocal in their support.
"He's just done 15 years," said Chisholm, one of about 20 supporters who travelled to Toronto for Wednesday's hearing.
"He's basically been under the gun (that whole time). The pressure, he just can't take it any more."
Dunlop has been remanded into custody until March 5, when it's expected the divisional court will sentence him on the contempt charge.
The court will also decide if his refusal to obey another court order to testify at the inquiry amounts to criminal contempt.
Dunlop safe in jail: Chisholm
Former city cop Perry Dunlop shouldn't face any trouble from inmates while he's held in a Toronto jail, his brother-in-law said Thursday. "I'm not a big worrier," said Carson Chisholm. "He's too high-profile."
On Wednesday, Dunlop - who was found guilty on contempt charges last November - was remanded into custody by a Toronto court until March 5. Chisholm said Dunlop was being held in protective custody away from other prisoners.
Even if he weren't, Chisholm said Dunlop's well-known attempts to uncover allegations of sexual abuse would make him a "sympathetic" figure among the prison population.
"Over half of the guys in jail were abused as children," he said. "That's how they end up there."
Dunlop, who has constantly refused to testify at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, has been given another chance to have his say when the inquiry resumes Monday.
While agreeing to appear could reduce Dunlop's sentence, people shouldn't expect him to show, said Chisholm.
"Let's get one thing straight: that ain't gonna happen, period, full stop," he said.
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