CANADA
Vancouver Sun
By Kent Driscoll, APTN, The Canadian Press March 17, 2014
IQALUIT, Nunavut – A northern judge is deciding whether to consider the previous convictions of a former priest accused of sexually abusing Inuit children.
Eric Dejaeger, a former Oblate priest, is facing 68 counts of abuse against dozens of children from his time as a missionary in Igloolik, Nunavut, between 1978 and 1982. The allegations range from fondling to the sodomy of a little girl duct-taped to the priest’s bed.
Dejaeger pleaded guilty to another eight counts as his trial began last November.
On the witness stand Dejaeger testified that the most recent offences he admitted to “just happened.” He suggested that the nature of the offences shows that he’s not a violent man.
Crown prosecutor Doug Curliss argued Monday that since Dejaeger brought the question of his character into court, that gives the prosecution the right to introduce information from Dejaeger’s previous convictions.
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