KELOWNA (BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA)
Castanet
September 16, 2020
By Tereza Verenca
Vernon brothers sexually abused by priest reach settlement with Diocese of Kamloops
An out-of-court settlement has been reached between the Diocese of Kamloops and two Vernon brothers who were sexually abused as teens by a Catholic priest.
The siblings launched separate lawsuits last year. In their notice of civil claims, they allege the now-deceased Father Herbert Bourne carried out the abuse at St. James parish in Vernon in the late 1970s. The court documents, which name Bourne and the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kamloops, a corporate sole as defendants, say the abuse happened at the church, in Bourne’s vehicle and at the boys’ family home.
“Bourne committed such tortious act on the plaintiff when he wrongfully and intentionally sexually, emotionally and mentally abused and traumatized the plaintiff,” the notice of civil claim states.
The brothers endured feelings of shame, low self-esteem, an impaired ability to be intimate, PTSD, depression and anxiety as a result, court documents show.
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