Recyled Oblate is a wanted man

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A page has been added for Father Eric Dejaeger omi.

I have been working on this one all of last evening and today.  I still have phone calls to make, and am awaiting return calls.  As I get more info I will pass it along.

Bottom line is this is yet another case of recycling and deception.  In this instance Canadian and Belgian Oblates have been actively shielding a convicted child molester who was and is still wanted by police.

In 1995 Dejaeger, already convicted for child sex abuse,  fled Canada for his native Belgium.  A warrant was out for his arrest.  Shortly thereafter a Canadian Oblate told an inquiring Canadian police officer that Dejaeger was in Belgium but that  he, the superior, had no idea where in Belgium.  Then the superior wrote to Dejaeger advising that he should notreturn to Canada or he would be arrested on the spot!

Clearly Dejaeger`s whereabouts were known.

The whole business of Dejaeger’s charges and warrants are a little confusing here.  As I say,  I am in the process of trying to sort them out.  What I know for fact is that in 2001 an Interpol warrant was issued for Dejaeger.  The warrant, in English, can be viewed by scrolling to the second page of this document.   Note under offences he is wanted for rape of a minor and sex crimes in Igloolik, Nunavut.  Note too that those with information regarding Dejaeger`s whereabouts  are advised to contact their local or national police.  More on that in a moment.

I have learned that, Interpol aside,  on 22 April 2002 a bench warrant was issued in Nunavut for Dejaeger`s arrest. The warrant related to sex crimes against children in Igloolik.  The warrant is still active.   I am currently  trying to find out if the warrant is executable across Canada, or just in Nunavut, or just where in Canada.  I am expecting a phone call today ot tomorrow to clarify these details.

Meanwhile, Dejaeger is in Belgium.  He has been in Belgium since he fled Canada to elude justice.  Aside time thatsomeone saw fit to allow him to function as a priest at the Lourdes shrine in the French alps, he has been in Belgium.   His whereabouts are known but were not divulged to police by Canadian Oblates in the know.

Bottom line here is that Dejaeger is wanted by police in Canada.   He is a wanted man.  Despite this, he has been shielded and coddled by his Oblate brethren.  And, as I said above, despite this man`s convictions – plural – for child sex abuse, the Belgain Oblates saw fit to recycle him to the shrine at Lourdes.  It is a given that such ‘service’ would allow Dejaeger unfettered access to children, both those travelling with youth groups and those accompanying their parents on pilgrimages.

I have contact with an individual in Belgium.   She phoned the RCMP attachment in Igloolik to find out if the Interpol warrant is still active.  She was told to go to police – I believe privacy issues were cited.

I contacted Interpol in Ottawa, also  to determine if the Interpol warrant is still outstanding.  Intrepol officials will not divulge any information – they advised I call the Ottawa police.  When I called the Ottawa police service I was rather curtly asked :  `Why are you calling us` and, after briefly explaining the situation and the fact that Interpol had  directed me to call Ottawa police I was told:  “If he is in Belgium what are we supposed to do?”

So, there you go.  What’s a person to do?

I was finally connected to the Missing Persons department!  I left a message on the answering machine.  So far, no call back from that.

Anyway, I will carry on and see where this leads.  Part of the reason for the call to Interpol was to see if there are still charges against Dejaeger.  No luck, but I did learn through other means that there definitely are outstanding charges and there definitely still is a bench warrant for his arrest.

Meanwhile, as far as I can see,  Dejaeger is wanted in Canada.  He is on the loose in Belgium.  The Oblates in Canada are doing nothing to see that justice done.  The Oblates in Belgium are doing nothing to see that justice done.

Take the time please to read Father Eric.  It`s an unofficial translation, but its well done and will certainly give one and all an idea of how concerned the Oblates are on both sides of the ocean  that a wanted clerical molester  is eluding justice.

More on this as it comes my way.  Anyone with any more pieces to the puzzle please post a comment or email me at cornwall@theinquiry.ca.

****

Still on clerical molester Eric Dejaeger,  but going back a few years.  I draw your attention to

20 April 1990:  R. v. Dejaeger:  Reasons for Judgement

  I have several questions and/or comments on this:

(1)  Note the maximum penalty the judge could have imposed for Dejaeger’s crimes  is 10 years.

Dejaeger was sentenced to 5 years.

True, relative to most sentences these days five years  could be considered a stiff sentence.  But look at part of  Justice Richard’s rationale  for going with five years:

(i) First these comments:

The main purpose of criminal law, including the sentencing process, is the protection of the public; specifically in this case the protection of innocent young children. With this purpose in mind it is important that the Court, in imposing a sentence on a guilty offender, indicate to the offender and to others that our society repudiates or rejects this kind of criminal behaviour as unacceptable.

That all sounds well and good, BUT protection of `innocent young children`is quickly trumped by Richard’s concern for `crushing`Dejaeger and for his rehabilitation

the Court must keep in mind the objective of rehabilitation of this particular offender into a law abiding citizen who does not break society’s rules, and the sentence should therefore not be so harsh as to crush the offender and cause him to give up all hope of rehabilitating and reforming himself.

(ii) Then it`s on to “fairness to the offender”:

 it should be noted in fairness to the offender here, that no violence was used in committing these assaults.

No violence?!  If sodomizing little pre-pubescent 9 and 10-year-old boys doesn’t constitute violence I truly don’t know what does.

(iii)  And this:

 Defence counsel advises that the mother of J. and G.U. has told Father Dejaeger that she is no longer upset and has come to terms with what has happened, and for herself she is prepared to accept Father Dejaeger back into the community.

Why do I have the unsettled and sinking feeling that someone talked that poor mother  into believing that that this would be proper,  charitable and Catholic thing to do.

 No matter, the woman obviously wasn`t thinking clearly.  I think it`s a disgrace that rather than question the evidence Richard  viewed it as a mitigating circumstance. Something is clearly amiss.  What mother would invite the priest who molested and sodomized two of her sons for six or seven years long years back to serve in her community and be around her sons and other children?

(iv)  And look at this:

I am not satisfied that Eric Dejaeger is a pedophile. From the facts that were provided to the Court today, in my view, this is simply a case of a lonely man who had normal sexual urges, which he repressed for many years because of his calling no doubt and who satisfied those sexual urges, not by approaching adults who were old enough or mature enough to say no to him, but by befriending or seducing young children who did not know enough, or were not courageous enough, to say no to him.

This is pathetic.  Poor Father Dejaeger was so lonely, and poor Father Dejaeger, a Roman Catholic priest,  was so afraid a woman would reject his advances that he decided to fulfill his "normal" sexual urges by molesting children?

A man with “normal” sexual urges does not sexually abuse children.   Never.  Ever.

I for one would say there is nothing “normal”  about Dejaeger’s “sexual urges.”  Nothing.

Final note on this one:  Perhaps Richard was not aware that countless other priest have been quite adept at finding a willing woman to fulfill their “normal”  sexual urges?     I don’t condone it for a moment, but I do believe that, were  he so inclined, Dejaeger could have done likewise.  He did not.

(v)   And this:

In mitigation, it is to Father Dejaeger’s credit that he has pled guilty to these crimes at the earliest opportunity

He got caught.  He was molesting for years.  It’s that simple.  Not a boo from him until he got caught – he just kept molesting children left, right and centre, -until he got caught.  There’s nothing to be proud of there.  If it spared the victims the pain and shame of testifying, so be it, and I am thankful for that.  But, I really have trouble with the logic.

(vi)   And this:

  I am going to take into account his previous good character

His good character, and that of the bulk of clerical molesters, is a manipulative ruse to gain trust of parents and or  parishioners to gain unfettered access to his prey.  Contrary to popular opinion these men do not sport horns and carry a pitchfork.  They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Of necessity,they must  look like sheep.

(vi)  Finally, the judge states:

I do not enjoy the thought of sending an ordained priest to jail for a long period of time, but the law and the oath that I have taken requires that I do so.

Why not?    Why does Justice Richard not enjoy sending an ordained priest to jail for a long period of time?  Any man who uses the collar and status of the priesthood to molest children belongs behind bars for a long long time.  I personally think that a clerical molester should by default be sentenced to the maximum time, solely because he is a priest.

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(contact me at cornwall@theinquiry.ca)

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