CANADA
CBC News
A Belgian human rights activist who was active in bringing Eric Dejaeger to justice says Friday’s verdict has vindicated many of Dejaeger’s victims.
“They were afraid that they were not going to be believed,” says Lieve Halsberghe.
On Friday, Nunavut Justice Robert Kilpatrick convicted Dejaeger on 32 of dozens of sex-related charges he faced involving Inuit children more than 30 years ago.
Halsberghe was one of several people who helped track Dejaeger down in Belgium in order to see him extradited to face the charges.
Over 10 months some 40 complainants testified against the Belgian-born former Oblate priest they knew simply as “Father Eric.”
“The people I met in Nunavut… showed extreme courage to face this monster after so many years and so much suffering,” Halsberghe says.
Crown prosecutor Doug Curliss says the trial was taxing on everyone.
“I know it was tough and it was tough on the community but they came and told their story and this is another step towards that conclusion.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.