Toronto Romanian Orthodox Priest Faces Seven New Sexual Assault Charges after Accused of In-church Attack

By Diana Hall
National Post
September 30, 2013

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/09/30/toronto-romanian-orthodox-priest-faces-seven-new-sexual-assault-charges-after-accused-of-in-church-attack/

Ioan Pop, a Romanian Orthodox priest charged earlier this month with an in-church sexual assault, is now accused of seven additional counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement

A Toronto Romanian Orthodox priest charged earlier this month with an in-church sexual assault is now accused of seven additional counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

Rev. Ioan Pop, 54, turned himself in to 41 Division on Monday. The original charge stemmed from an alleged sexual assault at All Saints, a Romanian Orthodox Church in the Birchmount Road and Danforth Road area, on Sept. 3. That alleged assault was interrupted by a couple entering the church, police say.

Det. Teresa Curtis of the sex crimes unit told a Monday press conference that members of the community came forward with complaints against Rev. Pop after police released his photo.

“I think that people came forward because they felt more comfortable,” Det. Curtis said at a Monday news conference. “There’s no [timeframe] for bringing forward these types of allegations. As you know, sexual assaults are under-reported.”

According to victims’ statements, Det. Curtis said the alleged attacks occurred between 2005 and 2011 to women between the ages of 24 and 43. The investigation into Rev. Pop includes eight complainants in total.