Now Facing 62 Total Sex-related Charges, Priest Consents to Remand

By Cory Hurley
Western Star
February 24, 2012

http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/Local/2012-02-24/article-2906114/Now-facing-62-total-sex-related-charges,-priest-consents-to-remand/1

George Ansel Smith is seen being led away into custody in provincial court Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012.

The Roman Catholic priest who turned himself in to police in December after nine alleged victims of sexual abuse came forward against him has again willingly gone into custody following more charges.

George Ansel Smith, 74, appeared in provincial court in Corner Brook Thursday afternoon. Attorney Tom Williams elected, on behalf of the former western Newfoundland priest, to proceed via judge alone in Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.

There were another 24 sex-related charges before the court against Smith, who was already facing 38 charges — including 13 counts of gross indecency, 11 counts of indecent assault on a male, seven counts of sexual assault, four counts of unlawfully committing a gross indecency and three counts of unlawfully assaulting with intent to commit an indictable offence. Those offences, alleged to have happened between 1969 and 1989 in six different communities, including Port Saunders, Corner Brook, Stephenville, St. Fintan’s, Cape St. George and Deer Lake.

In December, Smith turned himself in to the RCMP in Corner Brook. He appeared in court then, and was released from police custody on a number of conditions. Thursday, he consented to being held in custody on an indefinite remand, and will be back in Supreme Court for arraignment on all charges March 5.

Smith, who court documents state lived in Truro, N.S., was suspended from his ministry in Prince Edward Island in May 2010 after the church received a complaint.

The charges in December followed a 16-month investigation, according to the RCMP at the time.

One of the alleged victims named in the court information did an interview with The Western Star in June 2010. He said he was an altar boy at St. Columcille Roman Catholic Church in St. Fintan’s, where Smith served for a number of years prior to being stationed in Deer Lake.

The man, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, would have been between 12 and 14 years old at the time. He also believed his older brothers were victims of Smith’s too. The man is now in his 40s, and never filed a complaint about the abuse until years later.