Former Priest Gets Nine Years for Sexually Abusing Boys

By Miranda Chant
Blackburn News
March 22, 2019

https://blackburnnews.com/london/london-news/2019/03/22/former-priest-gets-9-years-sexually-abusing-boys/

A former Anglican priest convicted of sexually abusing four boys on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation 40 years ago has been sentenced to nine years in prison.

David Norton, 72, was found guilty last November of three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault. He was sentenced for his crimes at the London courthouse on Friday.

The nine-year sentence delivered by Superior Court Justice Lynda Templeton matched the joint sentencing submission provided by the Crown and the defence earlier this week.

“Both the Crown and I recognized that, that sentence was at the higher range of sentencing,” Norton’s defence lawyer Lakin Afolabi said after the sentencing hearing. “The judge stated that she had to send a message of specific deterrence and general deterrence. She had very strong words for [Norton’s] behaviour and she felt that this sentence meets the ends of justice.”

Norton served as the rector of St. Andrews church on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation in the 1970s and early 1980s. The abuse took place during that time.

During last fall’s trial, the court heard how Norton paid special attention to the boys, selecting them to be altar boys at the church, taking them to see movies, and on weekend sleepovers at his London apartment. The now grown men testified that they believed Norton drugged and abused them during those sleepovers. They described awaking groggy to find a sticky substance on their bodies.

Norton denied the allegations against him.

“There are no winners in a case like this,” said Afolabi, who credited the male victims and member of the Indigenous community for their composure during the proceedings. “There is a lot of strength and support in that community and they carried themselves with a tremendous amount of integrity and graciousness considering the circumstances. I certainly hope they can heal from this.”

In addition to the prison term, Templeton ordered Norton be added to the sex offender registry and prohibited from having contact with anyone under the age of 16. He is also banned from entering the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation territory.

Norton is currently serving a four-year prison term for sexual interference involving a young London boy in the 1990s. The sentence delivered Friday will be served consecutive to the previous one.