CANADA
CBC News
Jan 21, 2015
Crown and defence lawyers are expected to make their arguments in Iqaluit this morning in the sentencing hearing of Eric Dejaeger.
Dejaeger, a 67-year-old former Oblate priest, was convicted last year on 32 counts of child sexual abuse dating back to his time as a priest in Igloolik, Nunavut, between 1978 and 1982.
On Monday and Tuesday, 18 of his victims described to the court how those events affected them physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Some said they have either lost or found faith in the process. One woman quoted the Bible, saying the former priest did not know God. Another said he won’t baptize his daughter. He, like most of the others who made statements, said they turned instead to drugs and alcohol to “numb the pain and shame.”
They and their families wept and wailed even as court was adjourned for the day.
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