Only weeks before the municipal elections, the ex-wife of a Durham Regional Chair candidate has written a letter about her former husband, hurling some serious allegations.

Jennifer Lane told her side of the story of her relationship with former Clarington Mayor John Mutton on Facebook.

Lane goes into detail about how she was depressed and angry for chunks of their marriage due to Mutton’s alleged drinking and violent attitude.

She describes the scene of an incident in 2006, where Mutton was charged for allegedly assaulting both her and one of their daughters. She adds that night Mutton claimed he killed the family dog and would set their house on fire.

All charges were dropped the following year, but Lane now says it’s because she didn’t tell the truth in an effort to keep the family together for her children and was promised by Mutton he would stop drinking.

She further alleges he asked her to make a statement saying they were united for his re-election campaign, a vote Mutton lost. She said once again she did not tell the truth for this statement. She even claims her daughter was encouraged to say she embellished the truth by Mutton’s defense attorney.

Fast forward to 2018 and Lane claims Mutton recently asked her to make another statement saying he is a “good dad, a good ex-husband and the assault charges were unfounded.”

Lane says she would not write the statement and would never lie on his behalf again.

Durham Radio News reached out to Mutton’s campaign team and they stated they were aware of Lane’s letter.

“John loves his family very much and will not comment on false claims meant to derail his campaign,” said Spokesperson Fitz Matheson. “He will continue to work hard to serve the residents of Durham. John and his campaign will not be commenting further. We are focused on running a positive campaign and working night and day to elect John Mutton as the next Durham Regional Chair.”

Lane’s letter is posted verbatim below:

In Defense of Myself

From time to time, I reflect. Be it, when I was a child, a teenager, a new wife and mother as well as the present day happenings at home, work or with my daughters. I reflect on the good, the bad, the greatest and the worst times of my life and sometimes even shed a tear for what was or what could have been.

Recently, right out of left field, someone reached out to me for a favour. Well that call was a tad unsettling, it derailed my entire weekend and in one fell swoop I was back to being my weak self.

In this narrative, I want to be the only one I defend. I need to speak out and tell you about my past, my children and my hurts so maybe, others will not feel alone. I say alone because I have held so much inside for so many years that I do not know if I have ever really gotten over what happened. My daughters have spoken so freely about their feelings and frustrations to friends and family, whether appropriate or not, and to be honest, I was silently in agreement and feeling envious of how easily they used their voice. Yet at the same time, I was feeling so much guilt and at times self-loathing that I had become to believe that I was at fault for everything…because I was a coward – because I let HIM make me feel this way.

Two years into a marriage. I was angry. He was drunk. He brought friends home and they stayed until the wee hours of the morning, I was 8 months pregnant. I told him they had to go. I was angry. He was drunk and angry. I went back to bed. He picked up the end of the bed, rocked it from side to side, until I fell out and he broke the bed posters. I was 8 months pregnant. He was drunk and angry.

I was scared. He was drunk. He was sitting with his work colleagues. He told me only the cool people could sit with them. I was 8 months pregnant. He was drunk. The picnic table was falling over on me, but two men quickly saved it from falling on me. I was 8 months pregnant. He was drunk and smug. He was told to leave. I was hurt.

Me and my one year old daughter were at a birthday party for her friend. We were happy. I received a telephone call. He was drunk and angry. He told me to get home because he had company over for dinner. He was drunk. His friend was drunk. The other wife was mortified because I knew nothing about his plans. They left. He was still drunk. He was angry. Janine was in his arms and he kept telling me he would hurt her if I didn’t’ say sorry for humiliating him. He was drunk. My daughter was my world. He gave her back and we ran to the neighbours until he went to bed.

I needed a job. I applied. He said we would go out dancing if I got the job. I got the job. I came home. I was happy. He was drunk. He diminished my happiness. He didn’t care.

I held a birthday party. I was happy. He was drunk. He was embarrassing to watch. He allowed a man to tell me to F-off and Shut-up in my own home, because he was explaining the 7 Keys. They were drunk. Family left. You did something awful. I was mad. My sister was mad. You were drunk. You hit me. Police were called. Neighbours came out to watch. Police left. No charges because I said so. He was drunk and on medication.

7 years sober. Enter Politics. Another addiction. Another way out, another way to escape.

Then it started again. I was angry. He was drunk. He had his minions and power. I had two children to raise.

I was angry. I didn’t think I cared anymore until I did care. Care and Love. Love and Hate. Fine Lines.

He didn’t care. It showed. He made a friend. She lapped it up. He ruined a budding soccer career. I was devastated. I cared. I loved. Children hurt. He used them to get to her.

Counselling. My fault. I was mad. He was drunk and He was absent. I conceded. It was my fault.

Even though we lived in the same house he really wasn’t there. He was drunk. I was angry.

I was happy. He was happy. I took my daughter and my mom to a birthday party in Kitchener. He called me. He was drunk. I got home. He was more drunk. I left with my daughter to see a movie. We came home at 11:00 pm. He was even more drunk. A woman was there. I told her she had better leave. I packed a suitcase. He grabbed it from me and it fell open. I had to repack it. There was yelling. The children and I got into the truck, he yanked me out. My daughter got the other set of keys and we tried again. He came after us. She threw the keys into the darkness and he ran after them. We got the keys to the car. We got to the car and he kicked my suitcase while it was in my hand it came back to hit me in the leg. He grabbed it from me and ran with it toward the house. I ran after him and tried to pull the suitcase from his grip, i fell back to the ground. He started to kick me, over and over until my daughter pushed him off of me and she screamed get your hands and feet off my mother. He fell backward and grabbed for her, hurting her in the process.

He ran into the house, we ran to the car and got the hell out of there. That is when the texts started. The first one came and my daughter read it. He said he had just killed the dog. The second text came through he said he was going to set the house on file and finally, he texted if I didn’t come back he would file for bankruptcy and i wouldn’t get any money.

We spent the night in Oshawa. My younger daughter and I went back home the next day. My oldest would not come home. She said she would not live there as long as he lived there.

My daughter was angry. I was hurt and angry. My other daughter was hurt.

I received apologies. I was promised that he would never drink again. I wanted my daughter to come back home. I wanted a family. I wanted my family.

Police were called to bring our daughter home. She said NO. She told them why. Police laid charges. He was gone. My daughter returned.

No contact. He bought me a blackberry. We texted. We tried to get charges dropped. My daughters wanted their dad back.

We texted more. He asked me to make a statement for his re-election, my lawyer drafted it for me. Front page of the Star. We were united as a family.

Informed of another female friend. I was duped. Still no contact. I was angry. Nobody telling the truth.

Supervised visits, Childrens’ Aid parenting classes and threats of being torn apart on the witness stand about my anger and about my daughters anger by his Defense Attorney. I didn’t want my daughters to endure that questioning at their age.

My daughter was encouraged to say she embellished the truth.

When asked if he hit me – I said no. Because he didn’t. He kicked me. Lots.

When asked if the bruises on my leg in the pictures were as a result of him, I said, those are not bruises. They are my varicose veins.

Recanted.

12 days later he was gone. He left to live with another women and her children. I was angry. I was humiliated. I could not believe it.

I had gone to hell.

Over the next few months he played games with my mind until I said NO!

That’s when the stalking started. The texts, parking in the laneway in the middle of the night looking inside the house. Waiting for me outside of work. He wanted to weaken me again.

He was losing everything. He wanted it all back. Too late.

He called me a few weeks ago asking for a favour; a statement saying he was a good dad, a good ex-husband and that the assault charges were unfounded. He caught me off guard.

For an instant, I was weak.

I was hurt, not about what he said people were saying about him and certainly not because history was being brought to the forefront, but I was hurt that he had such a nerve to ask me to lie for him AGAIN.

Now I’m angry, but I will never lie for that son of a bitch ever again.