CANADA
Nunatsiaq Online
DAVID MURPHY
Former priest Eric Dejaeger has violated almost every oath taken by a priest — from celibacy to protecting others — and that should tell the court just how credible his testimony is, Crown prosecutor Doug Curliss argued May 27.
In fact, Dejaeger’s story is “simply unbelievable,” Curliss told Justice Robert Kilpatrick during final arguments at Dejaeger’s trial at the Nunavut Court of Justice.
Curliss tried to poke holes in Dejaeger’s character by emphasizing Dejaeger’s previous 10 convictions for sexual assault stemming from his time in Baker Lake, and the fact that he fled Canada when charges emerged from his residency in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982.
Because of his “unbelievable” testimony and because over 40 witnesses testified against him — alleging rape, inappropriate touching and even bestiality — Dejaeger must be found guilty, Curliss said.
It took the Crown Prosecutor nearly five to summarize his case against Dejaeger, a Belgian-born, ex-priest who faces 68 sex-related charges, mostly involving children.
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