A court-assigned mentor repeatedly raped him as a child. Decades later, his abuser was convicted, but then allowed to walk free. Now, a civil lawsuit against the Ontario government is over
Then began a 40-year journey through the justice system, and his mornings went silent. At 12 he was in child-protection court, where a judge ordered him to accept a mentor – who went on to rape him, repeatedly. Decades later, after he finally spoke up to authorities, a jury convicted the mentor, but then the Supreme Court established new time limits for criminal proceedings, and let the abuser walk free. And finally his journey took him to the civil courts, as he filed a $2.
Mr. Ruttan was 42 before he told his probation officer what the mentor did to him. The probation officer called police. That might have been the end of it but a juror gave Mr. Ruttan the number of a local lawyer, who referred him to Ms. Jellinek. His lawsuit, filed in 2015, accused the province of negligence in the supervision and training of his mentor. The out-of-court resolution, which came in May, took four years – more than a year longer than Mr. Williamson’s criminal proceedings lasted. The province did not admit liability, Ms. Jellinek says.
Splurging, Mr. Ruttan has bought framed paintings – of a wolf, and a deer – for the wall. A brass, heart-shaped urn containing the ashes of his late son, Brandon, is on a table. “I’m a bit of a sociopath,” he says. “I have a lot of trouble feeling empathy for people. But what dad went through, it tears a special place in my heart.” Recently he wrote the Prime Minister and Justice Minister asking them to reinstate the charges against Mr. Williamson. By law, however, he cannot be charged again for the same events.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Five bold predictions for world soccer in 2020 - Sportsnet.caWill 🇨🇦 win Olympic gold in women's soccer? Could Jadon Sancho join Manchester United? GalindoPW makes five bold predictions for world soccer in 2020.
Read more »
Last of Toronto’s 40-year-old streetcars to make final trip todayThe TTC has been phasing out the Canadian Light Rail Vehicles and replacing them with more accessible, low-floor streetcars that were first introduced in 2014
Read more »
‘You’d never even know I’m a cyborg’: Why people are using experimental technology to upgrade their bodies‘I think that someday, instead of having a sim card in your device, people will have it in the palms of their hands’
Read more »
Mike Holmes: Big ideas for better homesWhen it comes to building, I believe in building for the future.
Read more »
Newseum hailed free press, but got beaten by free museumsIn 2008, the Newseum -- a private museum dedicated to exploring modern history as told through the eyes of journalists -- opened on prime Washington real estate. Eleven years later that experiment is coming to an end. After years of financial difficulties, the Newseum will close its doors Tuesday.
Read more »
More deaths, fewer joint replacements, huge costs: The superbug crisis is already here, report warnsAccording to an expert panel report, 26% of bacterial infections are now resistant to the drugs normally used to treat them, a rate predicted to reach 40%
Read more »