CANADA
Sylvia’s Site
Ex-priest, convicted molester and Oblate Eric Dejaeger is due in court in Iqaluit tomorrow for his sentencing hearing.
18 January 2015: Arctic hamlet readies for mental health fallout from priest sex abuse sentencing
It’s good to hear that counselling services and extra staff will be available for victims in both Igloolik and Iqaluit. The day will be extremely difficult for the victims and/or family members who plan to deliver a Victim Impact Statement either in person, by videolink, or in writing to be read into the record on their behalf. It will also be difficult for previous victims, and, yes, for the many “complainants” who unfortunately did not see their charges translate into a conviction, and for the complainants in Alberta whose charges will hopefully be dealt with as soon as Dejaeger is sentenced in Nunavut .
I doubt that the hearing will wrap up tomorrow. There may be quite a few statements, plus both the Crown and defence will probably want to argue why Dejaeger is or is not a threat to children, and why he should or should not spend more time behind bars.
Once that is all done, it is up to the judge to decide if he, the judge, is ready to sentence Dejaeger. Sometime sentencing is done on the heels of the sentencing hearing. Sometimes a new date some days or weeks downstream is set.
We shall see…
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