Accused Priest Misses Court, Faces More Than 70 Charges

By David Murphy
Nunatsiaq Online
May 8, 2012

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674convicted_priest_misses_court_faces_70_charges/

The disgraced Oblate missionary, Father Eric Dejaeger (centre), celebrating mass in 2009 with two other priests in Blanden, Belgium

The erstwhile fugitive priest, Father Eric Dejaeger, was a no-show at the Nunavut Court of Justice May 7 at a scheduled court appearance, but he's set to appear in court next week, May 14.

His lawyer, Malcolm Kempt, was also not in court to set a trial date.

Dejaeger faces more than 70 criminal charges, the majority being allegations of sex offenses involving minors.

The Crown prosecutor for Dejaeger's trial, Paul Bychok, expects the trial will last up to four weeks, once lengthy examination of evidence is complete.

Dejaeger, a native of Belgium who gave up his citizenship to become a Canadian citizen in the 1970s, studied at Newman Theological College in Edmonton to become a Roman Catholic priest.

Once ordained, he moved to Igloolik and lived there from 1978 to about 1982. He then left for Baker Lake, and stayed there until about 1989.

In 1990, he pled guilty to nine sex offences related to his stay in Baker Lake, and served time in prison until 1995. After more charges were laid against him — this time six alleged offences from his time spent in Igloolik — he fled to Belgium and missed a court date in July 1995.

More charges were laid through the Nunavut court in 1995 and 2002, and Interpol issued an international warrant for his arrest in 2001.

Dejaeger spent time in Belgium until a Belgium newspaper exposed his past and he was arrested in 2011.

The Belgium government, then discovering Dejaeger was not a citizen of their country, elected to deport him in January of 2011. He is now held in custody.