Former Kinkora Priest Facing Sex Charges in Newfoundland Appears April 9

Journal Pioneer
March 6, 2012

http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-03-06/article-2916493/Former-Kinkora-priest-facing-sex-charges-in-Newfoundland-appears-April-9/1

Corner Brook law courts

A Roman Catholic priest facing 62 sex-related charges will next appear in court on April 9.

George Ansel Smith, 74, was not present in Supreme Court of Newfoundland in Corner Brook when his matter was called before Justice Alan Seaborn on Monday. Smith’s lawyer, Thomas Williams, told the court his client is in lockup in St. John’s.

Smith has been in custody since Feb 23. At that time 24 more charges were laid against him when he appeared in provincial court in Corner Brook to answer to the 38 charges that had been laid in December.

Williams asked the court to set Smith’s matter over to the next arraignment day to allow him time to review the particulars of the charges.

The provincial Crown agreed to the request and Seaborn set the matter to April 9. Smith has elected to be tried by judge alone.

In the meantime, Seaborn also put a publication ban in place to protect the identity of any complainants or witnesses in the case.

The charges against Smith include gross indecency, indecent assault on a male, sexual assault, unlawfully committing a gross indecency and unlawfully assaulting with intent to commit an indictable offence. The offences are alleged to have happened between 1969 and 1989 in six different communities, including Port Saunders, Corner Brook, Stephenville, St. Fintan’s, Cape St. George and Deer Lake.

Smith, who court documents state lived in Truro, N.S., was suspended from his ministry at St. Malachy's parish in Kinkora, P.E.I., in May 2010 after the church received a complaint.

The charges laid in December followed a 16-month investigation, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the time.