Pedophile Priest Loses Teaching Licence
By Sarah Sacheli
More than six decades after William Hodgson Marshall began sexually abusing male students, the former priest has lost his licence to teach. The Ontario College of Teachers announced in December it has revoked Marshall’s credentials. The college began disciplinary proceedings against the retired teacher and principal after he pleaded guilty in 2011 to 16 counts of indecent assault of minors and one count of sexual assault for incidents that occurred between 1952 and 1986 while Marshall taught at Assumption and Holy Names in Windsor and other Catholic high schools in Toronto and Sudbury. Marshall later pleaded guilty to further counts related to assaults on two boys in Saskatoon. Marshall is 91 and is said to have cancer. He hasn’t taught in decades. But that shouldn’t preclude the college from going after his licence, said spokesman Brian Jamieson. “We will pursue that until it comes to its rightful end,” Jamieson said Thursday. “The actions for which the persons were found guilty of professional misconduct stand regardless.” Marshall’s court proceedings were heard in Windsor in 2011 and 2013. Court heard that Marshall, a gym teacher, began sexually touching his students under the guise of “checking” their muscles. His groping would progress to their genitals. He abused children in his office, in school showers, in dormitories and the church rectory. Victims told of other priests walking in on the assaults, but never reporting what they saw. For the children whose families he befriended, the abuse would take place at his cottage and in the children’s homes while their parents were in other parts of the house. Some of Marshall’s victims were the children of married couples he befriended. The youngest was seven years old. Knowledge of Marshall’s predilection for touching boys was widespread through the schools where he taught. Behind his back, students called him “Happy Hands.” Marshall was sentenced to two years in a federal penitentiary for his crimes, then later, another six months of house arrest for the charges out of Saskatchewan. He is currently on probation. Rev. Timothy Scott, spokesman for the Congregation of St. Basil, more commonly known as the Basilian Fathers, said Marshall continues to reside at Cardinal Flahiff Basilian Centre in Toronto, a home for retired and infirm priests. This is despite the fact that Marshall is no longer a priest. “He has been laicized,” Scott said. “He is now a former Roman Catholic priest.” Marshall himself asked to be removed from the priesthood, a request granted by the Pope several months ago, Scott said. “We made a commitment publicly that we’d give him a place to live until the end of his life.” The disciplinary committee of the college held a hearing in June. Marshall did not attend but was represented by a lawyer. The college, in its December publication of Professionally Speaking, announced that the committee had found Marshall guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his certificate be revoked. “The committee found that Marshall had brought shame and disrepute to the profession through his abuse of power and sexual exploitation of students, and that such behaviour can only be characterized as reprehensible, debauched and entirely shameful.” Contact: ssacheli@windsorstar.com
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