CANADA
Windsor Star
SARAH SACHELI, WINDSOR STAR
A retired Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a dozen boys in decades past is being assessed by a court-appointed psychiatrist to see if he’s fit to stand trial.
Rev. Linus Francis Bastien attended Superior Court Thursday where his lawyer also argued that a lower-court judge who committed the old man to stand trial after a preliminary hearing made errors in law.
The 89-year-old cleric sat in his walker next to defence lawyer Patrick Ducharme. At times, Bastien was seen nodding off. Staff have outfitted him with a headset connected to the courtroom microphones to help him better hear the proceedings.
Bastien is charged with 30 counts of indecent assault, gross indecency, sexual assault and sexual interference against 12 former altar boys. In the case of one of the alleged victims, the charges date back to 1959.
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