Beaconsfield Deacon William Kokesch in Court Thursday

Montreal Gazette
December 27, 2012

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Beaconsfield+deacon+William+Kokesch+court+Thursday/7745968/story.html

William Kokesch, 65, is charged with production and distribution of child pornography.

Church deacon William Kokesch is to appear in court Thursday morning for a bail hearing after being charged with distribution and production of child pornography on Saturday.

Kokesch, an assigned deacon of St. Edmund of Canerbury Parish in Beaconsfield, was arrested Friday after Montreal police carred out search warrants at his house in Pointe Claire and at the church.

Police seized more than 2,000 computer files as well as messages left on Internet chat sites.

After his arraignment on Saturday, the Archdiocese of Montreal removed him from all ministry and pastoral activity. Kokesch had been ordained as a “permanent deacon” in the diocese of Montreal in 1981.

A Vancouver native, Kokesch had also worked as a reporter — for The Gazette in the 1970s and for CFCF Radio.

When he served as communications director for the Ottawa-based Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, he was often sought out by the news media to comment on the sex scandals that were embroiling the Catholic Church.

Kokesch is married and has five adult children.