CBC News
April 20, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/04/20/nb-priest-abuse-compensation.html
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| Retired priest Levi Noel leaves a New Brunswick court in January. He pleaded guilty to 22 charges of abusing boys. Retired priest Levi Noel leaves a New Brunswick court in January. He pleaded guilty to 22 charges of abusing boys. (CBC) |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst has hired a retired Supreme Court of Canada justice to head a resolution process for victims abused by a now retired and jailed priest.
Justice Michel Bastarache will meet with individual victims to offer compensation and counselling to those abused by Levi Noel while he was a priest in northeastern New Brunswick.
Bastarache said he plans to meet with the victims in June, and analyze the information over the summer.
"Basically, what has to be done is to obtain all the relevant information about the assault and the impact of the assault both physically or psychologically, and then to determine what amount would be offered," Bastarache said Tuesday. He said he would like to provide payments by the end of the year.
Noel, 84, pleaded guilty to 22 charges including gross indecency and indecent assault, and was sentenced to eight years in prison in January.
The charges related to incidents that occurred between 1958 and 1981. The 18 victims were boys between the ages of eight and 16 at the time of the abuse.
Bathurst bishop Valery Vienneau issued an apology to the victims last October after Noel pleaded guilty.
Noel worked on New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula for about 30 years but left the diocese decades ago.
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