He was a celebrity pastor at one of Canada’s biggest megachurches. Inside the sexual abuse allegations that brought down Bruxy Cavey’s church, we know that he knew he was dealing with a powerful predator who had violated every one of his sexual boundaries and used his status to get what he wanted.
Then, with an incredible reversal of fortunes, a judge threw out his criminal case against two men who had sexually abused him. What happened next was, to put it mildly, utterly horrifying.
The men who had molested Cavey did not see the end of the war coming. In the last days before Bruxy, the men had been telling their supporters that the former head pastor of the church, a man named David Stapleton, would likely have his charges thrown out. He was a celebrity pastor, they said. Stapleton was a hero to them.
Cavey’s supporters were angry, but Bruxy’s were just as furious. For weeks he said he didn’t believe any of it. And he didn’t see any reason to back out of the trial.
In truth, he did not have a choice. Stapleton had been making threats to Cavey’s supporters, telling them that he would make sure they ended up in jail. If they fought him, he would make sure they lost. He was already threatening Cavey’s church.
What happened next was a nightmare.
In January, 2017, the trial began.
The men who had been charged with sexual assault began their testimony, telling the court how they had spent hours talking and cuddled with Cavey. They told of how they held him in their arms, rubbed the backs of his head, and said, “I love you so much.” Then they told of the rapes and assaults he had subjected them to. They told of how he had forced them to kiss him and touch him. They said how, after these rapes, they had left him with the feeling that he was still in control.
A few days after Cavey’s lawyer made his opening statement