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THE
SATANIC SEX SCANDAL
JOHN POPOWICH
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John Popowich will never forget the day he
was charged with child abuse.
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John
Popowich was born in Yorkton, Sask in 1946 and joined
the Saskatoon Police Service in 1973. He worked
as a beat officer, in the traffic section and undercover
in the drug squad through his career. He also worked
as a firearms instructor. He held the rank of corporal
when he was charged during the Martensville investigation.
He says he will never forget the day that he was
named as a child abuser. "Once you're fingered
as a sexual pervert or a predator of any kind, anything
to do with kids and sexual assaults, you're dust.
Doesn't matter what happens."
He maintained his innocence throughout, saying he
had never been to the community more than twice
in his entire life. But the stigma was so severe
he couldn't even hold children in his own home.
"You'd sit there and watch TV in the afternoon
or night and you'd turn the venetians right down
so no one could see in. I was so scared of people
watching or listening that the girls weren't even
allowed to sit on my knee to watch TV like we normally
did."
The charges against Popowich were stayed when the
children who testified couldn't pick him out of
the courtroom. The judge ruled that it was a case
of mistaken identity.
Although he was found innocent, Popowich ended up
in the hospital with a breakdown and never returned
to police work. He lost an eye when attacked in
a restaurant after his charges were stayed. He lives
in Saskatoon.
Last summer the Saskatchewan government awarded
him 1.3 million dollars for malicious prosecution
in the Martensville case. Read
a letter from Justice Minister Chris Axworthy.
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