Fathers Canada

FREDERICTON (CP) -- The RCMP has closed the book on its investigation into child sexual abuse at a New Brunswick youth jail, but there's growing pressure on federal officials to open a new, independent inquiry into the scandal. Sgt. Gary Cameron of the RCMP in Fredericton said Friday the police investigation into allegations of abuse by employees at the now-closed Kingsclear Youth Training School is finished and no new charges will be laid.

Cameron said letters of explanation have been sent to the latest in a long list of complainants who told police they were sexually abused while imprisoned at the reformatory on the outskirts of Fredericton. "The complainants have been sent registered letters," Cameron said.

After years of inquiry and investigation, Karl Toft, a former guard at the facility, was convicted of sexual abuse charges. Toft is now in an Edmonton halfway house, finishing up a 13-year jail sentence for his crimes against the children in his care in the 1960s and 1970s.

"The whole thing smells," said Edmonton MP Peter Goldring, who is trying to get an independent inquiry into the Kingsclear scandal. "The criminal investigation is now supposedly completed. What kind of investigation was it? There were so many accusers. It defies belief all the way around."  Goldring, an Alliance MP, said now that the RCMP has washed its hands of the case, he will go back to the House of Commons justice committee and seek a review of the case. He said similar requests in the past were dismissed because the case was already under investigation by the RCMP.

"They can no longer use the RCMP as a reason for not having this entire affair reviewed," Goldring said. Meanwhile, there was a new development in a $4-million civil lawsuit filed by several former residents of the training school against a former RCMP officer associated with the reformatory.  A default judgement has been entered against former RCMP staff sergeant Clifford McCann at the Court of Queen's Bench in Fredericton. McCann did not file a statement of defence, so the complainants win the case by default. 

However, the lawsuit is still active since other defendants named, including the federal and provincial governments, have filed statements of defence. "From our standpoint, we're a defendant in this and we're proceeding to defend ourselves against it," said John White, spokesman for the New Brunswick Justice Department.

The plaintiffs in the statement of claim say they "suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse . . . at the hands of the defendant McCann." According to the statement of claim, the sexual contact occurred in McCann's police car, in the basement of his home and in a motel.  The federal government and the RCMP filed a joint statement of defence earlier this year. In it, they say they did not breach "any duty of care" to the alleged victims. The province of New Brunswick claims it had no knowledge of abuse. Goldring said it's unlikely the plaintiffs will be able to collect any money from McCann, who has gone into hiding. 

"There's nothing that can be done to bring this person to justice, civilly," Goldring said of McCann.
Toft, 67, one of Canada's most notorious pedophiles, pleaded guilty in 1992 to 34 sex assaults on 18 children. He has since admitted to at least 200 sexual assaults at Kingsclear.

In July 2001, about 250 victims made financial compensation claims and another 400 either have claims pending or made criminal complaints.
 

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Sex victims win suit

By RAQUEL EXNER, EDMONTON SUN

Three city men and a B.C. resident have won a civil lawsuit against a former RCMP officer, alleging the Mountie sexually abused them while they were inmates at a New Brunswick youth jail.

The default judgment against former staff sergeant. Clifford McCann was issued by the Court of Queen's Bench in Fredericton, N.B. last week. Default judgments are issued when no statement of defence is filed at all, which happened in this case, or when the defence is filed too late.

The $4-million lawsuit was levelled against McCann and other defendants in February 2002. The alleged victims were at Kingsclear - the same facility where notorious pedophile Karl Toft worked as a guard.

Each of the four plaintiffs in the statement of claim alleges McCann took them out of Kingsclear without parental permission and forced them to expose themselves to him in a police cruiser, where sexual touching occurred on "numerous occasions."

Two of the men allege they were sexually abused in McCann's home.

Other defendants in the $4-million lawsuit include McCann's wife, the federal government, the province of New Brunswick, the RCMP and the Kingsclear youth training school. Default judgments were issued only on the McCanns.

The federal government and the RCMP filed a joint statement of defence earlier this year. In it, they say they did not breach "any duty of care" to the alleged victims. These two defendants admitted McCann took the alleged victims on outings, but claim they have no knowledge of abuse. The federal government and RCMP further admit that one of the alleged victims briefly lived with McCann before returning to jail.

The province of New Brunswick also filed its statement of defence, admitting the plaintiffs were allowed to leave the jail on passes at their own request to go with McCann. The province also said parental consent wasn't obtained in these cases, but claims it had no knowledge of abuse.

Statements of claim and statements of defence contain allegations not proven in court.

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Thursday, June 05, 2003

NB Says No Fault By Province

New Brunswick is denying any wrongdoing in a four million dollar lawsuit over allegations of sexual abuse at the Kingsclear youth training school.

Four men who were incarcerated at the school claim they were sexually abused by an R-C-M-P officer affiliated with the centre during the early 1980's. They allege Staff Sergeant Clifford McCann gave them cigarettes and liquor and took them out of the youth jail.

The claims, including sexual assault, have not been proven in court.

In its statement of defence, New Brunswick says it is not liable for any damages allegedly caused by McCann.

The Kingsclear training school has haunted New Brunswick governments for years. It was the setting for Canada's most notorious pedophile, Karl Toft.

Toft is now on parole after being convicting of assaulting 18 boys in his care at the reformatory.

- Broadcast News Ltd.