Winnipeg Priest Takes Stand in Sex Assault Trial

CBC News
September 12, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/09/12/mb-storheim-priest-sex-assault-trial-stand-winnipeg.html

Archbishop Kenneth (Seraphim) Storheim, left, and a supporter leave the Winnipeg courthouse on June 12, following the first day of testimony in his sex-assault case. (Karen Pauls/CBC)

The former Archbishop of Canada’s Orthodox Church took the stand in his sex assault trial in Winnipeg on Thursday.

Kenneth William (Seraphim) Storheim has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault involving two pre-teen brothers who were members of the church more than 25 years ago.

The alleged sex assaults took place when Storheim worked at a parish in Winnipeg’s North End.

Storheim was the highest ranking cleric in the Canadian diocese of the Orthodox Church of America until he was suspended in November 2010, when the charges were laid against him.

He began testifying in his own defense on Thursday.

Storheim’s testimony began by him describing the family involved in the charges. He told the court the brothers were “vivacious, mischievous and hard working.” He described them as average children.

He said he originally met the family in Ontario, and then he moved to Winnipeg around 1984.

The brothers were then sent to live and work with Storheim at a church in Winnipeg in 1985 by their single mother. Both boys were in their pre-teens at the time.

Former Archbishop Kenneth (Seraphim) Storheim was suspended by the Orthodox Church of America after two sexual assault charges were laid against him in November 2010. (Archdiocese of Canada)

Defense lawyer Jeff Gindin questioned Storheim about incidents described in previous testimony, where brothers alleged the man would walk around the small house naked and occasionally lie on the floor and touch himself.

"While I was in the kitchen having breakfast ... he was lying down naked and his hand was on his penis," one of the brothers testified earlier this year.

Storheim denied those allegations, telling Gindin he didn’t walk around naked, though it was possible the brothers saw him naked “unintentionally.”

He also denied laying on the floor with his hand on his penis in front of one of the brothers. “I’ve never done that,” he testified.

Storheim said there was one occasion where he sat beside one of the boys on his bed one night. He said he was fully clothed, and he sat with the boy because he was nervous about noise.

He said he had discussed puberty with the boys, but it had mostly likely came about in the context of speaking about Genesis.

Storheim was scheduled to be cross-examined by Crown attorney Breta Passler Thursday afternoon.

CBC's Angela Johnston is in the courtroom and will be tweeting from the proceedings.