The sentencing hearing for Father Robert Couture is this morning at 10 am:
Thursday 28 July 2016: 10 am, sentencing hearing, Windsor Superior Court of Justice (245 Windsor Avenue), Windsor, Ontario
Finally! Sentencing. It’s taken a while.
On 10 December 2015 Father Couture was convicted by a jury for theft over $5,000. Between 2002 and 2010 the Diocese of London, Ontario priest stole between $180,000 and $234,000 from St. Anne’s Parish in Tecumseh, Ontario.
Couture, ordained in 1988, took a leave of absence in 2010 to attain a B.Ed at Ottawa U. At the time of his arrest he had been doing substitute teaching in French Catholic schools – was teaching a grade 4/5 class at ecole St. Paul in Stony Point, Ontario since November 2012.
I just checked. Robert Gerard Couture is still a teacher in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers. Here is a screen shot taken moments ago (click to enlarge):
Anyway, this morning is a sentencing hearing. Usually both sides present their case at a sentencing hearing as to how much time should or should not be served, what risk he is to re-offend, and defence usually has a cache of letters from those who think their client is an exemplary human being, and sometimes defence will call character witnesses to take the stand to testify to the latter.
Sometimes a judge will pronounce sentence on the same day as the sentencing hearing- most will set a date to sentence.
I do hope there will be people in attendance to hear and see what happens.
Please pass on any and all news and links to media coverage.
Enough for now,
Sylvia