Crown Seeks 11-year Sentence for Residential School Sex Abuse

CTV
December 6, 2013

http://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/crown-seeks-11-year-sentence-for-residential-school-sex-abuse-1.1577472

One of Paul Leroux's sex abuse victims says he won't ever forgive the former residential school supervisor.

The man, who was a student at the Beauval Indian Residential School in northern Saskatchewan during the 1960s, was one of several students Leroux was found guilty of sexually abusing.

At Leroux's sentencing hearing Thursday in Battleford, the man said he can't forgive Leroux, now 73, because he still denies what he's done.

The Crown argued for an 11-year-sentence, but Leroux, who acted as his own lawyer, said that was too harsh for crimes that happened so long ago.

Last month, a judge convicted Leroux on 10 of 17 charges involving boys at the school -- eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency

The judge will sentence Leroux on Dec. 12.

"It has to be reciprocal, and he's not willing to admit that he's done anything wrong, so why should I forgive him for that?" one of the man's victims said outside court.

It's not Leroux's first conviction for abusing boys and youth. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1998 for abusing 14 boys and young men at Grollier Hall, a residential school in Inuvik run by the Roman Catholic Church.

Those convictions were for gross indecency, indecent assault and attempted buggery between 1967 and 1979.

Leroux worked as an activities supervisor and guidance counsellor at Grollier.