Boy Scouts of Canada Sued for Sexual Abuse

VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - A former Boy Scout claims convicted sex offender Richard John Turley sexually abused him more than 100 times.

Joey Day sued Turley and the Boy Scouts of Canada, in British Columbia Supreme Court.

Day claims he was 9 when Turley met him and began using the Scouts to groom him for sex. Turley developed "a close and personal relationship with the plaintiff when he was young ... a relationship that allowed him to be alone with the Plaintiff and exert control over him, prey upon him and sexually abuse him" the complaint states. Day claims that Turley sexually abused him at least 100 times, for 2½ years, sodomizing him and him to masturbate and perform fellatio in nature areas and in Turley's apartment and vehicle.

Turley was criminally convicted of abusing him in 1996, and had similar convictions in 1975 and 1989, according to the complaint.

Day claims that "Scouts Canada empowered and encouraged Turley to mentor young Scouts, like the plaintiff, in matters of scouting, character and life skills. They correspondingly encouraged youth and parents of youth to seek out the guidance of scoutmasters like Turley.

"They provided Turley with the platform from which to influence and interact with young people. They fostered a relationship of psychological intimacy, trust and authority between Turley and the Plaintiff as central components of the role of a Scoutmaster, thereby placing Turley in a quasi-parental role vis à vis the plaintiff. They conditioned the plaintiff to comply with Turley's direction and to respect Turley as a person of authority."

Turley's so-called "perversion file" is available online via the L.A. Times ; he was also caught molesting three boys at a scout camp in Southern California in 1979.

Day seeks punitive damages.

He is represented by Robert Talach with Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers of London, Ontario.

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