Former Deacon William Kokesch May Plead Guilty to Porn Charges

By Domenic Fazioli
Global News
January 15, 2014

http://globalnews.ca/news/1082212/former-west-island-deacon-william-kokesch-may-be-ready-to-plead-guilty-to-porn-charges/

[with video]

BEACONSFIELD, Que. – A little over a year has passed, and parishioners at St-Edmund of Canterbury Church in Beaconsfield will tell you they still feel angry and betrayed by their former deacon, William Kokesch.

“Personally, I feel sad,” parishioner Sonia Cary told Global News.

“Not for him, but for the Church.”

The 66-year-old was arrested in December 2012 for possession, production, and distribution of child pornography.

READ MORE: West Island deacon William Kokesch removed from post after child pornography charges

Police say more than 2,000 graphic images of nude children were found inside his home and work computers.

At a brief court hearing Tuesday in Montreal, defence lawyer Jeffrey Boro told reporters his client is feeling “stressed.”

He also suggested his client may be ready to plead guilty to the charges at his next hearing in February.

“We are looking at all possibilities and that’s one of them,” Boro told Global News.

“My client is anxious to see the end of this chapter in his life. I can’t say more than that.”

If Kokesch pleads guilty to the three charges against him, he faces automatic jail time.

By law, offenders convicted of production and/or distribution of child pornography face an automatic one year prison term.

The maximum for either of these offences is 10 years.

Canadians convicted of possession of child pornography are obliged to serve at least 45 days behind bars.

William Kokesch is currently out on bail.

His release conditions prevent him from using the internet, and he must stay away from places where there could be children.

Kokesch is the former communications director for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.