Mark your calendars! A few courtdates this coming week:.
Monday, 15 June 2015
(1) Father Peter Groulx (Diocese of Thunder Bay, Ontario)
Charges laid against Father Peter Groulx October 2014: three counts of Sexual Assault and three counts of Sexual Interference with a person under 16 years of age contrary to the Criminal Code. The charges relate to incidents dating to 2003 to 2005 in Terrace Bay. The details for Father Groul’s next court date are as follows:
15 June 2015 : 10 am, Preliminary Hearing, Thunder Bay, Ontario courthouse (125 Brodie Street North. Thunder Bay, Ontario)
Please keep the complainants in your prayers, and, as always, please pass along news and/or links to media coverage of the outcome.
(2) Nathan Labatt (Archdiocese of Regina. Saskatchewan)
Former Boy Scout leader and former youth volunteer with the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan Youth Ministry Nathan Labatt was charged January 14 2015 with 1) Sexual exploitation, Section 153(1) CC, 2) Invitation to sexual touching, Section 152 CC, and 3) Possession of child pornography, Section 163.1(4).
15 June 2015: 10 am, Humboldt courthouse, Humboldt, Sask (805 8th Avenue)
Yes, please keep the complainants in your prayers, and please pass along news and/or links to media coverage of the outcome.
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
(1) Father John Sullivan (Diocese of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario)
Father John Sullivan was previously convicted following his guilty plea in 1992 to 32 offences involving 13 altar boys.
New charges were laid June 2012, and further charges in October 2012. Father Sullivan (yes, he’ STILL a priest!!) is now facing, I believe three charges of gross indecency and one of buggery.
It’s now nearly three years later since these recent charges were laid. and the complainants are still waiting for their day in court!! Please keep them and their families in your prayers. I am sure it is extremely difficult going from court date to court date hoping that he will show up, or that there will at least be some small sign of progress toward trial. Nothing to date. As always, if anyone ahd any news from the court please pass it along.
(2) Ex Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger (no longer priest but still an Oblate!)
On 04 Feb. 2015 Dejeager was sentenced to 19 years in jail (8 years deducted as 2:1 credit for time served, therefore 11 years left to serve). However, there are additional charges from Edmonton Alberta which were laid in November 2011 and are apparently now being tossed in with the Nunavut charges; whether or not Dejaeger will, as is anticipated, plead guilty to those charges and serve additional time for those crimes remains to be seen.
It’s taken some doing to get those Edmonton charges to Iqaluit. I won’t hold my breath that it will actually happen on Tuesday. For the sake of the complainants I hope and pray it does, but ….?
We shall see…
As it stands, Dejager’s next courtdate is currently:
16 June 2015: 1:30 pm, Iqaluit courthouse, Iqaluit, Nunavut
Please keep the Edmonton complainants and their families in your prayers.
This has been anther case which has unfortuangtley – as do so many – dragged on and on and on for the complainants.
Enough for now,
Sylvia
From an article I read. Interesting. Keep up the good work.
“Syvia’s Site grew out of MacEachern’s coverage of the 2006 Cornwall Inquiry into sexual abuse by members of the city’s establishment, including some Catholic priests.
One priest who asked not to be identified said Sylvia’s Site is a daily stop. Not only does it have the biggest archive in Canada on the sexual abuse scandal, it keeps track of court dates for sexual abuse cases across the country. He joked that maybe the CCCB should hire her. But the priest raised concerns about the publication of unproven allegations that can harm reputations unfairly.
“I think as the years have rolled by and I get closer to this, I realize that my concern for children and the vulnerable trumps my concerns for the rare instances in which there may be false allegations,” MacEachern said in telephone interview. “And they truly are rare.”
The anger of victims against the Church is one of the hardest things for MacEachern to deal with. “I am a practicing Catholic and I do love my church.”
But the native of Northern Ireland who converted to Catholicism 30 years ago understands their anger. “We shouldn’t have these men in the priesthood. We shouldn’t have cover ups. We shouldn’t have people put willfully at risk.”
Excellent recognition for a job well done by Sylvia! Thanks for posting it Mike.