August Court Date for Former N.B. Priest Facing 22 Charges
By James Foster
Times & Transcript
July 18, 2009
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/front/article/732904
TRACADIE-SHEILA - The laying of 21 sex charges and one count of assault against a former parish priest on the Acadian Peninsula does not mark the end of the case.
Lévi Noël, now 83, has been charged by RCMP with 12 counts of gross indecency, nine counts of indecent assault and one count of assault.
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| RCMP Sgt. Sylvain LeClerc, centre, details the investigation that led to charges against Levi Noel in Caraquet. At left is Insp. Roch Fortin and at right, Pascale Sonier, who heads a consultative committee on sexual assault in the Acadian Peninsula. |
The complainants are 10 males who were all minors at the time, between the ages of eight and 16. The charges allege offences that occurred between 1958 and 1978. Noël appears in provincial court here on Aug. 26 at 9:30 a.m. to elect mode of trial and possibly enter a plea to the charges.
In the meantime, RCMP are still checking out the potential for other victims to come forward. Police say they actually have information about five more cases. However, four of those involved declined to proceed with charges while in the fifth case there was not enough evidence with which to proceed to court.
Noël left the Diocese of Bathurst more than 30 years ago and is now retired.
Father Wesley Wade, vicar general of the diocese, won't comment while the matter is before the court but issued a written statement stating the accusations are a matter of "great concern."
"Sexual aggression, especially that perpetrated against minors, is severely condemned by the church. We are very much aware of the harmful consequences this can have on the lives of the victims. The accused, of course, remains innocent until proven guilty."
Noël is not in custody but remains free. He has most recently been living in Quebec.
RCMP say if anyone has any more information on the case or on incidents that have not yet come to light, they should call the police, not only to seek justice but to also get any help which is often required by victims of such crimes.
The Mounties began their investigation in May 2008, after one person came forward.
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