Court this week

Sylvia's Site
March 17, 2014

http://www.theinquiry.ca/wordpress/

The sex abuse trial of now-defrocked Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger continues tomorrow (Monday, 17 March 2014),.  While Dejaeger is no longer a Roman Catholic priest he is still an Oblate.

You may recall that the Dejaeger sex abuse trial was adjourned 23 January of this year to allow the Crown time to prepare a legal case to allow the introduction of  Dejaeger’s criminal record as evidence.

Prior to the adjournment Dejaeger had been testifying in his own defence.  He has entered guilty pleas to to eight of the approximately 80 charges against him.  A handful of charges were dismissed – Dejaeger, who has been twice convicted in the past,  denies all of the multitude of other charges against him.

According to Nunatsiaq Online, at the time the trial was adjourned  Justice Kilpatrick, the presiding judge,  said that, starting 17 March 2014,  the trial will take a week to wrap up “to tie up loose ends.” “It will be over that week,” Kilpatrick warned the lawyers. “All evidence must be in.”

A reminder too that it’s not all over for Dejaeger when the Nunavut trial wraps up.  There are complainants in Alberta as well.  In that regard there is a one-day preliminary hearing booked for 31 July 2014 in Edmonton Alberta.

Please keep the many victims and complainants and their families in your prayers.  I am sure Dejaeger’s denials are difficult for all.

And please, as always, pass along any news from the courtroom , be it a link to media coverage or first-hand account of what transpires.

*****

Mark you calendars.  There are two additional court dates of interest to many this week:

(1)  Father Joe LeClair

Father Joe LeClair will be sentenced. On 20 January 2014 he pleaded guilty to theft and fraud.  Although $400,00 was reported missing from Blessed Sacrament Church and insurance paid approximately that amount to the parish, a plea deal saw the priest plead guilty to defrauding the parish of only $139,000.

The Crown has argued for 18 months in jail plus two years probation.   LeClair’s lawyer. Matthew Eebber, argues for a conditional sentence served in the community.

There are many who believe that Father LeClair should spend time behind bars for his crimes.  There are others who believe he should he has suffered enough and should be spared jail time.  On the day LeClair entered his guilty pleas Ottawa’s Archbishop Predndergast issued a public statement which included the following statement:

“In a courageous and very public way, Fr. LeClair admitted to the  addictions which were harmful to him personally and to his pastoral ministry. As we have from the  first day when Fr. LeClair’s problems became known to us, we continue to support Fr. LeClair in his  recovery. Aware of his many talents and of his 25 years of effective pastoral ministry, we will work with Fr. LeClair in his desire to return to the exercise of his priestly ministry.”

Some may also recall that there were public allegations of a sexual nature  made against Father LeClair by Kenneth M.. F. McGrath.  In the event that those comments were not seen by the Archbishop or his staff I personally drew them to his attention via email.  Tomorrow I will post the response I received on the Archbishop’s behalf from Monsignor Kevin Beach.  I have yet to answer it – it is only proper that I do so before carrying on.

(2)   Father Daniel Miller

A preliminary hearing for convicted sex offender Father Dan Miller is scheduled to start this coming Thursday:

20 March 2014:  09:30 am, Preliminary hearing, Pembroke court house (297 Pembroke Street East)

If anyone knows how many days the courtroom is booked for the hearing could you please let me know?  I will try to find out tomorrow, but if someone already knows it would be much simpler.  It may be for just one day, but could also be for two or more days.  It would ne nice to know how many days for certain to allow those who plan to attend to sort out their schedules.

And, yes, preliminary hearings are open tot he public.  There will be a publication ban on all evidence and on the identity of the complainant, but that does not prevent the public from attending.  It does prevent the media and others from publicly  reporting what is said, but it does not prevent anyone from sitting in on the hearings.

As always, I encourage those whoa re free to do so to attend.  And, as always, I ask you to keep the complainant and his family in your prayers.

Enough for now,
Sylvia