Toronto Police Lay 7 More Sex Assault Charges against Orthodox Priest

CTV News
October 2, 2013

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-police-lay-7-more-sex-assault-charges-against-orthodox-priest-1.1476948

Ioan Pop is pictured in a photo provided by Toronto police.

[with video]

TORONTO -- Toronto police say a Romanian Orthodox priest is facing seven more sexual assault charges in addition to one laid earlier this month.

Ioan Pop, 54, of Toronto was arrested in early September and charged with one count of sexual assault after a woman was allegedly assaulted at All Saints Romanian Orthodox Church in the city's east end.

At the time police released a photograph and said they believed there may be more victims.

Det. Teresa Curtis of the sex crimes unit says several more women have since come forward with allegations against Pop, who is now charged with eight counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

She says the new charges relate to alleged incidents that happened between 2005 and 2011 and that the additional seven complainants were between 24 and 43 years old at the time of the alleged offences.

Curtis says Pop is in custody.

Police still believe there may be more complainants and are asking anyone with any further information to come forward.