CANADA
Ottawa Sun
BY AEDAN HELMER, OTTAWA SUN
FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2017
Loud applause erupted in court room No. 33 on Tuesday as Father Stephen Amesse was acquitted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.
The judge scolded the public gallery, which was packed to standing room-only with supporters of the Stittsville priest known as Father Steve.
“This isn’t a cheering section,” said Justice Martin James to the crowd of supporters, including one man dressed in an Ottawa Senators jersey, calling the applause “offensive to me and this court.”
The cheering was also seen as offensive by the family of the complainant, several of them in tears as they streamed out of court.
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.