CANADA
The Telegram

Barb Sweet
Published on November 15, 2014

A Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge gave approval Friday for a woman to proceed as Jane Doe in a pending new civil case against a former doctor and minister convicted in the 1980s of sexually abusing children.

The court order by Justice Deborah Paquette allows the woman to keep her name confidential and also excludes the naming of her small community.

It stems from an application made by lawyer Will Hiscock of Budden and Associates. The order paves the way for a statement of claim to be filed, which has not happened yet.

Stephen James Collins worked as a minister and later as a doctor in this province until he was arrested and pleaded guilty in the 1980s to sexually abusing 11 children in the Baie Verte and La Scie area. After his arrest he was diagnosed as…