Bail Hearing Postponed for Priest Charged with Child Porn Possession

CTV
March 8, 2013

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/bail-hearing-postponed-for-priest-charged-with-child-porn-possession-1.1187511

A priest accused of possessing child pornography will have to spend the weekend in jail before having a bail hearing.

Father Daniel Moreau was arrested by the Surete du Quebec on Thursday at his residence behind the St. Gabriel Lalement church in Sorel-Tracy and brought to court Friday morning. He faces seven charges of child porn possession dating back to 2006.

In handcuffs and shackles, the priest was escorted from a prison van to the courthouse by bailiffs just after 10:15 a.m. As Moreau crossed the parking lot, a group shouted insults at him, including one man whose grandson was recently baptized by the priest.

Daniel Moreau as seen in his Scouts Canada uniform, courtesy Sorel-TracyExpress.ca

“Everyone open your eyes, because something is off with our society,” the man shouted.

The courtroom was filled to capacity waiting for Moreau's appearance, but in the end the priest will not appear until Monday.

"I came in this morning. He had no lawyer, I was told he was alone there, and somebody asked me to meet with him which I did," said defence lawyer Gilles Thibault. "For the time being I will represent him."

Thibault said he needed the weekend to study the charges, and will likely recommend his new client plead not guilty. The Crown is opposing bail.

In the meantime the Diocese has stripped Moreau of his duties.

The Diocese of St. Hyacinthe issued a statement Friday saying that any priest accused of criminal charges is automatically relieved of duty until the court case against him ends.

The Vicar, Jean-Marc Robillard, also wrote that nobody from the religious order would make any further comment on the matter until justice had taken its course.

Parishioners who were in church while Moreau was arrested were shocked to see him led away in handcuffs.

Surete du Quebec officers say they found pornographic material on his computers, and seized them for further inspection. They also said that police outside the province had first detected Moreau's alleged criminal actions.

Moreau has also been an active member of Scouts Canada in Sorel-Tracy.