The lower end of the scale of gravity?!

No word yet on the sentencing of  Deacon William Kokesch in Montreal.  I have checked several times.  Strange that there wouldn;t be word out by now.  I wonder if it even proceeded today?  Usually the word on sentencing gets out pretty quickly.  If you hear anything please pass on the word.

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No news yet either on Father Albert Laisnez courtdate of today in Edmonton.  That doesn’t surprise me as much – there is a possibility will be an article or some form of media coverage tomorrow, but, sometimes there is no media coverage at all of these early courtdates.

Anyway, please pass on any news of what happened in court.

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I don’t think there will be any coverage the Eric Dejaeger Edmonton courtdate of today.  I will check for the next courtdate on Monday (can’t check the same day because in most courthouses the information hasn’t been entered and files are often still in the courtroom)

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Two informative articles of interest posted:

(1)  23 January 2015:  “Priest jailed for 1978 sexual assault” & related article

There has been scant media coverage of the Father Omer Desjardin abuse.  This article provides a little more information.

A few comments:

i.  “…the sentence of this court must adequately reflect society’s revulsion for such conduct.”

Does six months in jail really and truly and  adequately reflect society’s revulsion” with Father Desjdins’ conduct?

A Roman Catholic priest –  molesting a 10-year-old little girl – warranst sic months?

Look what the victim has to say to her molester:

“You deceived me and your crime has affected my life so drastically that it has been a life of pure sadness, hatred and mistrust……I do not believe there is a God, because you, as a man of God, have taken that from me.”

ii.  Justice Byron Wright apparently exercised leniency in sentencing because he feels that  the offence was on the lower end of the scale of gravity and Desjardins had no criminal record or other charges in the years since the assault.

– where on the scale of gravity do you fit a grown man who is a Roman Catholic priest who seeks sexual gratification from a 10-year-old girl.  Ten years old!!

– he has no criminal record and no charges since he abused that child?  What does it take for judges to understand that those victims of clerical sexual abuse who do speak up do NOT do so for decades?  The fact that a clerical molester has had no further charges laid means nothing.  No one can assume for a single moment that a convicted molester does not have other victims.  There is as much possibility that he has molested other unfortunate children who have yet to find the courage to speak up as there is that he never again laid a wayward hand on a child.

I fail to understand how any judge can use that rationale as grounds for lenience.  But, they do.

iii.  The child told her grandmother what happened.  Grandma did nothing.  Unbelievable!

iv.  “The victim, now 46 years old, reported the assault to police in 2013.”

We don’t know what month in 2013 the victim went to police, but do know that  charges were laid in September 2014

(2) 22 January 2015:  Priest accused of new sex offence as new complainant comes forward

i.  There is one new complaisant and one new charge

ii.  Four charges were withdrawn yesterday.  There is no explanation for the withdrawal of the charges.  What happened?  Does anyone know? Nor is there any indication if the withdrawal of charges means that the number of c complainants has dripped.

The article does say that there are now 17 charges, and this after the withdrawal of the four charges.

iii.  Note the following paras:

Arsenault had been a priest in several different New Brunswick communities, but he was most recently a Moncton-based priest at Saint Augustine’s Church and St. Michael’s Church. He was removed from the ministry July 4, 2012, and retired that same month.

The Archdiocese of Moncton sent out a news release on Jan. 2, 2013, announcing that Arsenault was one of two priests suspended indefinitely from all ministry following allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

Former Supreme Court of Canada justice Michel Bastarache brought the allegations to the attention of the archdiocese.

The allegations were made to him during the archdiocese’s independent reconciliation and compensation process for victims of sexual abuse.

In a news release, the RCMP said they started the investigation in December 2012 as the result of a complaint.

 I post these as a reminder that Father Arsenault was quietly suspended in July 2012  because of the sex abuse allegations.  There was not a boo about sex abuse allegations  until the archdiocese issued a press release in January 2013.

Note too that the RCMP investigation started five months after Arsenault was suspended,   What that means I don’t know, aside the fact it appears that police were  not contacted at the time of Father Arsenault’s suspension.

…..

 I am going to start  adding the names of Judge, Crown and defence lawyer involved in criminal trials.  I think it would be helpful.  I find myself often searching for those names on a page. I’m sure others do too.  I did the same thing with the names of Bishops – realized about two years after I started the database that I was spending an inordinate amount of time trying to sort out who the bishop was at any given time.  I decided to add the names of all bishops serving in the diocese from the time an accused arrived.  I think that has been helpful for all.  I now add those names routinely when starting a new page.

It can take a lot of time dig through media and legal documents to find those names of so have decided I will do so at leisure and as I add articles to various pages.  If you have names on hand for anyone on the Accused list please send them to me along with the name of accused and I will get them posted,  It would save me a lot of time 🙂

Enough for now,

Sylvia