First victim testified Poulin treated children 'like slaves'

Journal-Pioneer/September 20, 2002
By Andy Walker

Charlottetown -- Supreme Court Judge David Jenkins heard Thursday afternoon from the first of five children former nun Lucille Poulin is accused of assaulting at a religious compound in rural Queens County. Th youngster described Poulin as the "big boss" of the commune, saying at one point he believed she might have supernatural powers.

The youngster said he was even more concerned the former nun could condemn him to hell after his older brother died in December of 1999. He said he was not sure whether Poulin had told God to kill him because he did something wrong or whether he had died of natural causes.

The boy said he moved to P.E.I. from Alberta with his parents and four other siblings in 1995, after the commune had attracted the attention of social services workers in that province for its discipline practices. He said six other siblings stayed in Alberta.

He said the children were expected to work at both the farm and at the restaurant that served as the commune's major source of income. The youngster said his day began at 6 a.m. and went until past 11 p.m. He said Poulin home-schooled all of the children and fit in their lessons around the duties at the restaurant.

The boy said Poulin treated the children like slaves.

The youngster said Poulin did hit children with a homemade paddle known as "the rod", which was the main instrument of punishment at the commune, while she was teaching them. However, he said Pouln left some of the punishment to the men of the commune because they could hit the children harder.

The youth was eventually kicked out of the compound after he was caught using a homemade phone to call his sister in Alberta. He was given a seven-day bus pass and sent back to Alberta unsupervised.

The youngster strongly rejected a suggestion from defence lawyer Zia Chisti that Poulin was trying to teach him vales like honesty and respect for his elders. He said Poulin taught him the law of God came before the law of the land and she was receiving direct orders from God.