Priest Facing 74 Charges Waives Preliminary Hearing
CBC News
Eric Dejaeger appeared in court in Iqaluit Monday morning and was arraigned on dozens of new charges, most of them related to accusations of sexual abuse in Igloolik, Nunavut, 30 years ago. His lawyers told the court he wants to be tried by judge and jury and he has waived any preliminary hearing. The 65-year-old Catholic missionary is now facing 74 charges stemming from the complaints of 39 alleged victims. The number of charges doubled in recent weeks. The Crown wants to deal with all charges in one trial in Iqaluit. Lead prosecutor Paul Bychok said more victims could still come forward, but time is running out. "We're very, very close now to that point in time where we'll know the exact parameters for this particular case, and if after that, other people come forward, the RCMP will do their investigation and those individuals at some point will have to wait their turn," he said. Bychok said he expects the crown to file its formal indictment sometime between the middle of July and early September. He said everyone in Canada has the right to a trial within a reasonable time period. "The clock is certainly ticking, and we're very aware of that,” he said. With dozens of alleged victims, and more witnesses, a jury trial could stretch on for more than a month. A backlog in Nunavut's court system means any trial is not expected to begin before next spring. In the meantime, Dejaeger remains in custody and police continue to investigate his alleged crimes. A trial date has not been set but his next scheduled court appearance is July 16.
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