By Allison Salz
Edmonton Sun
November 22, 2011
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/11/21/assault-took-place-between-1975-and-1978
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| Eric Jose Dejaeger a former Catholic priest faces new charges in Edmonton that date back more than 30 years. It is alleged that Dejaeger assaulted a minor. UNDATED INTERPOL PHOTO |
A Catholic priest already facing charges in Nunavut for sex crimes against Inuit children has been charged in connection with a sexual assault that took place in Edmonton 35 years ago.
Eric Jose Dejaeger, now 64, is already facing charges of sex crimes against Inuit children stemming from his work as a missionary in Iglookik, Nunavut, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Dejaeger will soon be transferred to Edmonton from the Baffin Correctional Centre in Nunavut, where he is currently being held.
City police say a victim came forward in April, notifying police of the assault, which took place between 1975 and 1978 when Dejaeger lived in Edmonton.
He is charged with indecent assault and gross indecency.
Det. Barb Clover said Dejaeger was not working as a priest at the time of the assaults, but was in a position of trust.
Clover would not reveal the age or sex of the victim, nor any specific details about the alleged assault.
She would only say that he or she was a youth at the time the alleged assaults occurred.
As for what took so long for the victim to come forward, Clover said it's different for everyone.
"Sometimes it just takes people a while until they're brave enough to come forward," said Clover, adding that given that Dejaeger faces charges in relation to about 30 people in Nunavut, it's quite possible that there are more victims.
"We're thinking if we put this out, there could be potentially more people that have been affected, and we urge them to come forward if that's what they'd like to do to do."
Dejaeger pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault in 1990, and was sentenced to five years in jail for abusing eight children in the community of Baker Lake, Nunavut.
But the 64-year-old never showed up for a 1995 court date connected to the six other counts of indecent assault and buggery in Igloolik.
Dejaeger had fled to his native Belgium, where he worked openly for the Roman Catholic church for 16 years.
In 2002, RCMP and Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Dejaeger, who is a Canadian citizen.
He was arrested in Bruges, Belgium, and extradited to Canada on January 19, 2011, on immigration violations, after living in the country for years without a proper visa.
In 1977, Belgian law didn't recognize dual citizenship. At that time, if you became Canadian, you were no longer Belgian.
Dejaeger was originally slated for an appearance in an Edmonton courtroom Dec. 2, but police say they now aren't sure when he will be brought to Edmonton to face the charges.
Contact: allison.salz@sunmedia.ca
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