Sixteen years after walking out of prison, convicted pedophile and former Anglican choirmaster John Gallienne is facing new sex assault charges.
Gallienne, who pleaded guilty in 1990 to molesting more than a dozen choirboys over the course of 15 years as the popular organist and choirmaster at Kingston’s St. George’s Cathedral, will appear in court next month to face new allegations that he sexually assaulted two more choirboys on multiple occasions between 1978 and 1982.
The alleged victims, now in their late 30s and early 40s, came forward to Kingston Police earlier this year claiming they had been abused by Gallienne between the ages of 8 and 11.
Gallienne, now 65, was paroled in 1994 after serving four years of a six- year sentence for 25 sex abuse charges involving 15 boys, some as young as six.
The abuse consisted of mutual masturbation, oral sex and sodomy.
At the time, police and lawyers said there were likely many more victims who had not yet come forward.
Gallienne is also blamed for the suicides of a 14-year-old boy and 25-year-old man he is accused of molesting.
Gallienne’s 1990 arrest shocked Kingston’s Anglican community and fractured St. George’s congregation, many of whom accused the church of negligence, wilful blindness or outright cover-up.
After the arrest, it was discovered that several people had complained about Gallienne’s inappropriate behaviour years before and the church took little action.
In 1995, 11 victims and 10 parents shared a $2.1 million settlement after suing the church and the Anglican diocese of Ontario.
When he had completed his prison sentence, Gallienne moved with his wife to Ottawa and began attending St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.
Despite being formally banned by the diocese of ever being a member in any music program or ever holding a leadership position in any Anglican church, Gallienne conducted the choir, and led music ensembles and church committees at St. John’s.
When confronted by Kingston Whig-Standard reporters in 2004, church officials said they were aware of Gallienne’s past, that he was not having any contact with children, and that he was “on a tight leash.”
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The Whig-Standard reported in April that Gallienne received a pardon for his previous crimes, but parole board officials would not confirm the information.
Gallienne would have had to wait at least 5 years from the completion of his sentence before seeking a pardon.
Persons convicted of crimes who have served their sentence can apply for a pardon to have their criminal record separated from other criminal records. A pardon does not erase a conviction, and it would still show up on a background check to work with children, seniors or people with disabilities.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said earlier this year that his government will seek to reform Canada’s pardon process to make it more difficult for sex offenders after public outrage followed the discovery that high-profile sex predator and former junior hockey coach, Graham James, was pardoned in 2007 and is now living and working in Mexico.
If Gallienne did in fact receive a pardon, a new conviction would quash it.
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