Reporter's Notebook: Unravelling a high school sex abuse scandal

An old man stood in front of the judge, wearing a blue suit and holding two Walmart bags filled with thingshe planned to bringto his new home federal prison.

This was my first contact with a sexoffender, and in court that day onMarch 21, 2018,Bob Clarke looked just like a harmless-looking grandfather,casually chatting with his lawyer.

Studying him, I wondered how he could possibly have hurt so many teenagers over so many years.

I'd learn there was a dark side to this 74-year-old former music teacher, who wasconvicted that day of gross indecency and sexual assault involvingeight students during thedecades he spent working in Ottawa schools.

But Clarke's conviction was just the beginning of the mystery I'd later unravel what went on at Bell High School that led to sex crime accusations by more than 30 former students against three former teachers.

• No more secrets: A CBC Ottawa investigation
• 'They could have stopped this': Sex abuse warnings at Ottawa high school went unheeded

Of the three men charged by Ottawa police around the same time, Clarke wasthe only one who sawhis day in court. Buthe was in prison now,refusingto speak to me, and the two other accused teachers Don Greenham and Tim Stanutz were dead.

My search began.

Who knew what, and when

The day after Clarke's sentencing I went back to the courthouse. Criminal charge sheets provided more details about thedozens of charges laidagainst Clarke, Greenham and Stanutzdating from 1970 to 2005.

Over weeks and months, with the help of social media, I sought outvictims now spread across North America. And as word spread about my investigation, some of themmanaged to find me first.

Eight survivors decided to speakon the record and reveal their names. Police interviewed them, too, to makesure CBChadn't coerced them into speaking.

All were adamant that they were ready to talk, and after their stories became public, they shared feelings of relief and validation.

Finding out who knew whatand when atthe school board, in the mental health system, withingovernment and among police was thegoal when I started my search.

I filed about 15 freedom of information requestswith limited successthe men's right to privacy beingthe overriding rationale usedtokeepdocuments out of the public realm.

But some of those documents were used as evidence in court, and after formal requests, judges eventually unsealedpapers and lifted publication bans.

The unsealed and partially redacted reports provided someanswers, andat the same timeraised more questions about who was accountable.

• 'I'm a demon inside': Teacher convicted of sex crimes sought treatment
• 'All we want is the truth': abuse victim demands answers from school board

It was the more than 90 interviewswith witnesses, teachers, principals, former students, victims, police sources, parents and lawyers some on the record, and some offthat were the most fruitful.

I found witnesses to the indiscretions of all three teachers.

I found some adults who knew about it at the time, some of whomhad evenspoken out.

But the teachers weren't stopped, and the number of victims multiplied.

The reaction

Victims andpeople totally unconnected to the caseswere outraged by the CBC'sfindings.

Immediately after the stories were published, emailspoured into CBC Ottawainboxes, including mine, from as far away as New Zealand and England. Others arrived from Edmonton, Victoria, B.C., Vancouver, Saint John, N.B.,Yarmouth, N.S.,and all over Ontario.

There were allegations about abusive teachers at different schools across Canada, and some new information about the teachers at Bell High School. Some alleged victims said they'd never told anyone about their assaults until their note to me.

The messages included phraseslike"keep digging,"this is the "tip of the iceberg,""there is a bigger picture,"and "thank you, Julie, for this powerful story. It makes a difference."

Butsix letters voiced concernand disappointment about the allegations against Greenham and Stanutzin particular, who died before their cases were heard in court.

"Shocked and disappointed to hear CBC devolve into playing judge and jury," wrote one angry reader.

What comes next

There are some stories not yettoldafternew charges were laid against Bob Clarke, who is currently in prison.

Victims have urged me to keep this file open.

Some of their narratives will be woven into a CBC original podcast in the new year, called The Band Played On.