Philip Jacobs Sentenced

Sooke News Mirror
September 11, 2013

http://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/223198051.html

Father Philip Jacobs, a parish 63-year-old priest who once served at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Sooke, was sentenced on September 4 to two years probation along with a five-month conditional sentence. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper found the priest guilty in March and imposed the sentence while stating it was clear Jacobs acted deliberately.

Jacobs was found guilty in March for sexually touching a teenager while ministering at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic School in Saanich between 2000 and 2001. The victim was an alter server at the time and stated Jacobs molested him more than once and “less than 12” times. Jacobs was arrested in 2010, released on $25,000 bail and has essentially been under house arrest since then. Jacobs has been known to live along West Coast Road.

Jacobs was acquited on three other charges that include one count of sexual assault and two of sexually touching a person under 14.

There had been other allegations of “inappropriate behavior” with a young male while Jacobs was a priest in Columbus, Ohio although no criminal charges were laid. He was sent to the Sooke parish where he would not be in the presence of school children and was the priest there for two years from 1995 to 1997.

He was the priest at St.Joseph’s between 1997 and 2002 when he resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct began to surface.

Conditions have been placed on Jacobs which include not being in the presence of anyone under 16, counselling, providing a DNA sample and registration as a sex offender.

The  Crown prosecutor was seeking a sentence of up to six months in jail.