The verdict in the sex abuse trial of ex priest Gabriele DelBianco will not be rendered until 24 February 2014:
19 December 2013: “Former Catholic priest Gabriele DelBianco facing sexual assault-related charges” & related article
I am sure I would be putting it mildly to say that this news is a great disappointment for all the complainants and their families who no doubt hoped that the verdict would be in before Christmas. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
*****
We made it to Ottawa, Illinois today. The weather was with us – problems getting through Toronto because of an accident, but that aside we sailed along. All being well the weather will be with us again tomorrow and we should be arriving at our daughter’s home in time for supper 🙂
Enough for now,
Sylvia
Thank you for all of your support and effort in keeping this web site up to date. Your hard work is appreciated. I hope you and yours have a safe and peaceful holiday.
Hi there. I am Sandra Awde and live in Hershey, Pa. I am a first cousin of Gabe and all this makes me sick. He baptized our oldest daughter who is now 21 and he married both my husband and I in 1990. He actually showed up at my parents’ surprise 50th anniversary party to wish them well.
It infuriates me that things get brushed under the carpet.
If someone does do wrong and they prove it, I think they should most definitely pay the consequences. Things get pushed along and quite honestly if all what is said is true,
he should be behind bars. Anyone else would be.
Sandra, Thank you for posting. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to hear these truths about a trusted family member. So many people had faith in Gabe. He is a master manipulator. Unfortunately, our justice system seems to care little about truth. The truth about this case is that Gabe can afford a cut-throat, experienced lawyer and the crown was intimidated and inexperienced. The bigger and sadder truth is that the 4 women in court represent a very small percentage of the horrible crimes Gabe committed to young girls just beginning to understand what it means to be a woman. Our world seems so numb to clergy abuse that they forget that the women in court represent young, inexperienced girls just starting to learn about what love and sexuality meant. What they lost in his “education”will never be repaired or repaid. The verdict in court does not represent the truth. Only Gabe in his smug, self-assured bravado and the courageous women who stood up and told their stories will ever really know the truth. In my case, the truth is liberating. In Gabe’s case, I believe he will forever be haunted by his actions and the panic attacks he used to speak of will pale in comparison to the reality he will face when he will one day have to look back on his life and seek atonement. And the impact on his family, parishioners ,and the victims and their families and friends cannot be understood. It is like the ripples in a pond that go on forever… How can justice possibly be served?
Today is the day. My thoughts are with you all, and my fingers are crossed that he’s going away.
Here’s the latest: http://www.theobserver.ca/2014/02/24/george-delbianco-acquitted-of-sexual-assault-charges-on-two-of-four-women
Former priest Gabriele DelBianco, 57, was acquitted of sexual misconduct charges involving two women but rulings on charges involving two other women will be made later today.
The key issues in the first rulings by Superior Court Justice Joseph Donobue were possible consent to sexual activity and the reliability of the evidence.
DelBianco had pleaded not guilty to 16 offences involving four teenage girls during the 1980s.
The trial started Oct. 16 , 2013 and testimony from four women, now in their 40s, ended in October. DelBianco chose not to testify.
The number of charges was increased to 18 to match with testimony from the four women regarding the offence dates. No further allegations are contained in the new charges.
One woman described that as a teenager she felt the outgoing and popular priest was like a rock star. DelBianco left the priesthood in 1996 after serving at churches in Wallaceburg and Windsor.
And here’s the rest of it. Disappointed? Beyond belief.
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/02/24/george-delbianco-acquitted-of-sexual-assault-charges-on-two-of-four-women
SARNIA – Former Catholic priest Gabriele DelBianco, 57, was convicted Monday on three of 18 charges related to sexual misconduct involving four teenage girls.
Sentencing has been set for May 14.
A pre-sentence report was ordered and DelBianco remains out of custody.
The convictions relate to two of the women, now in their 40s.
The key issues are possible consent to sexual activity and the reliability of the evidence.
DelBianco pleaded not guilty to 16 offences involving four teenage girls during the 1980s.
A one-week Superior Court trial commenced Oct. 16 and included testimony from four women, now in their 40s. DelBianco chose not to testify.
The number of charges was increased to 18 to match with testimony from the four women regarding the offence dates. No further allegations were contained in the new charges.
One woman described that as a teenager she felt the outgoing and popular priest was like a rock star.
Several of the women testified that they had sexual encounters with DelBianco, one saying she believed her teenage sexual encounters with him would lead to them becoming a couple.
One of the women who testified said she had no conscious memory of any sexual abuse. The therapy occurred after she learned of a lawsuit against DelBianco and the Catholic Church by other women.
That therapy was paid for by the Catholic Church, she said.
Her memories continued to get clearer, she said, after her initial statement to the OPP in 2011 when she recalled details of one incident.
Another of the four women testified DelBianco had helped pay for a Florida trip with her family.
Several of the women said he made them feel special as teenagers because he chose to spend time with them alone.
Two of the women testified that he had claimed to be involved with the CIA. One woman testified that DelBianco started a romantic relationship with her when she was 15 or 16 and when he was a 29-year-old priest
She said he fondled her in his car, but they did not have sex until she was 20.
By the time she was 21, she and DelBianco had become a secret couple, she said, noting she stayed at his church residence three to five times weekly.
She testified that the former priest fathered her child.
In the mid-1990s the woman ended all contact with DelBianco through a legal agreement for a one-time $10,000 child-support payment.
DelBianco left the priesthood in 1996 after serving at churches in Wallaceburg and Windsor.
Thank you Amber for keeping us updated. I have posted the articles from the Sarnia Observer and London Free Press.
24 February 2014: “Gabriele DelBianco found guilty on three of 18 sexual assault charges” & related articles
Disappointed beyond belief sums up my thoughts too. Guilty on only three of 18 charges?
Is the Crown planning to appeal? I certainly hope so.
Disappointed, sure, but not dismayed. He will do time
And the crown? She never really showed up. So no, there will not be an appeal.
I think one of the greatest impediments to having a balanced justice system is that the crown lacks the deep pockets that many of those charged seem to have. I wonder how much money was actually allocated to the crown’s case, and how would it compare to that of the defence attorneys?