Therapist among those found liable in malicious prosecution in Klassen case.

SASKATOON -- A Crown prosecutor, a therapist and a Saskatoon police officer have all been found liable for malicious prosecution of 12 members of a Saskatchewan family that were charged with sexual assault of three foster children in the early 1990's.

Judge George Baynton said in his judgement in late December that Crown prosecutor Mathew Miazga, Saskatoon police officer and lead investigator in the case, Brian Dueck and therapist Carol Bunko-Ruys maliciously prosecuted 12 members of the family, and were liable in the $10- million lawsuit launched by the Klassen family in January 1994.

The Saskatchewan Attorney General stated that he plans to appeal the judgement, especially to defend the prosecutors.

The Klassen's affair began in the early 1990's, allegations that the Klassens and their extended family along with the three foster children's own birth parents had engaged in abuse rituals, including forcing them to participate in orgies, drink blood, eat eyeballs and watch babies being skinned and burned alive.

Allegations of abuse first surfaced when the oldest foster child accused the Klassen family of sexual abuse in an attempt to have his two sisters removed from the Klassen home and to be reunited with them. Ross and his younger twin sisters had been placed with the Klassens in February 1987, but by May of that year Michael Ross was removed from the home to a mental health facility for his disruptive and abusive behaviour toward his sisters, including physical and sexual abuse.

By May 1990, Ross' sisters were removed from the Klassen residence and placed with their brother in his new foster home. One year later, Richard Klassen and 15 others, including the children's disabled parents and members of the extended foster family were arrested on sexual assault charges. The charges were based on interviews by the police and the therapist.

Three years later the Crown stayed charges against 12 of the 16 people accused of sexual assault saying that it wanted to prevent any further trauma to the children. Paul Klassen, Richard's father pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in a plea bargain, while the children's birth parents and a family friend were later found guilty, but those convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court.

The defendants launched their $10-million lawsuit in 1994. In March 1999 one sisters apologized to Richard Klassen. Later that year, Michael Ross signed a declaration stating that he made up all of the sexual assault stories. Two years later, Ross' other sister signed a declaration stating that she had lied in court.