Ottawa Priest Faces New Sex Assault Charges
Ottawa Citizen
An elderly Ottawa priest and former school board trustee is facing new sex abuse charges. Jacques Faucher, 76, stood with his hands in his pockets as he appeared on video from the courthouse cells accused of new allegations of sexually abusing three men between 1969 and 1974. Faucher was first arrested in February on sex allegations and released. He was arrested again Thursday. Court documents show he is now facing a dozen charges, including six counts each of gross indecency and indecent assault on a male on four alleged victims. Faucher, whose face was partially obscured on the courtroom video screen by a glass partition during his appearance Friday, was released on the same $6,000 bond and similar conditions to the ones the Crown had already agreed to following his earlier arrest. Faucher had already been facing a charge of gross indecency and indecent assault on a male for a “series of inappropriate contacts” with a boy that are alleged to have occurred between 1971 and 1973 when he was arrested Thursday. Police didn’t release details about the ages of the males in relation to the new charges. The charges come after police asked anyone with information about other incidents to come forward. As part of his release Friday, Faucher was ordered not to communicate with his four accusers. He must reside at an Aylmer address and stay away from schools, parks, pools, playgrounds or any other places children may be present, including the children’s section of public libraries. He was not allowed to be with anyone under 16 except for family members, unless under the constant supervision of the child’s parent or guardian. He was also ordered to stay off the Internet and not use any electronic devices capable of storing pictures or movies. Faucher had already been suspended from his priestly duties by the Archbishop of Ottawa, Terrence Prendergast, following the earlier arrest. “On learning that Fr. Jacques Faucher has been charged with criminal misconduct in relation to a minor, I want to advise our Catholic faithful, and the wider community, that I have suspended him from all ministry and prohibited him from representing himself as a Catholic priest,” Prendergast said in a written statement. Faucher, who grew up in Ottawa, was ordained in 1960 and served in a number of Ottawa parishes over his career. Highlights of that career were written up in the Spring & Summer 2010 issue of Catholic Ottawa, the newsletter of the Archdiocese of Ottawa, to mark Faucher’s 50 years as a priest. It recounts that he studied theology in Paris before coming back to Ottawa and serving in the parishes of Notre Dame-des-Anges, Saint-Louis-Marie-de-Montfort, Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc and Christ-Roi. Faucher also taught at the Grand Seminaire, the newsletter said, and was “actively involved in the field of education, notably teaching catechism in several high schools.” The priest also served as a trustee on the Ottawa Board of Education. Contact: aseymour@ottawacitizen.com
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