Rcmp Dismiss Sexual Abuse Allegation against John Furlong

By Amy Judd
The Global News
October 29, 2013

http://globalnews.ca/news/930403/rcmp-drop-sexual-abuse-allegation-against-john-furlong/

The letter sent to John Furlong.

[with video]

The RCMP has found no evidence to substantiate the sexual abuse complaint against John Furlong.

The RCMP investigator sent Furlong a letter in April saying the RCMP has concluded its investigation and as it has found nothing to support the complaint of sexual abuse by Beverly Abraham, it will not be forwarding a report to Crown Counsel.

Furlong, the former head of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, was accused in an interview in the Georgia Straight last fall of harming aboriginal students when he taught at a Catholic school in Burns Lake over four decades ago.

In July, Abraham and another woman, Grace West, launched a lawsuit against Furlong. In September a third lawsuit was filed against Furlong who has denied all claims of physical and sexual abuse.

Furlong has launched his own defamation lawsuits against the Georgia Straight and a journalist.

Abraham says she is disappointed because “the proper investigations hasn’t been done at all.” The RCMP called her a couple of weeks ago and said they had concluded her investigation and that they did not find anything to prove her claim against Furlong.

“My lawyer has taken all the papers of what, he’s investigating the RCMP of what the investigations has been done,” says Abraham.

She says the RCMP has only spoken to her once on the phone and visited her once about the allegation.

Abraham still has a civil suit against Furlong, and says West and an unnamed man, does as well but says the RCMP has not spoken to either of those people.

“I do believe we have a strong case because there is more that is coming out,” says Abraham.

“My heart is just beating so fast, not with anger or anything, but, probably is with anger,” she says, fighting back tears. “I’m just so heartbroken right now because of what [the investigator] is doing and it’s not right for him to do that. He should have done more but he said he concluded it, and it really broke my heart because he didn’t talk to any of them.”

In a statement to Global News, Sgt. Rob Vermeulen with the BC RCMP says:

When a file(s) is concluded our normal course of action would be to notify the complainant(s) and in some cases, where appropriate, the subject(s) of complaint. Due to the serious and sensitive nature of the allegations, earlier this year we asked for an independent review of our complete investigation by major crime investigators from another province. That review resulted in a number of investigative recommendations that we continue to follow up on. Our file remains open at this time.

We also remain mindful that there are multiple civil actions underway as well and as such it would be inappropriate to provide further comment.