Posted: Jan 22, 2015 5:44 AM CTLast Updated: Jan 22, 2015 9:05 AM CT
Eric Dejaeger steps out of an RCMP truck in front of the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit on Jan. 21. (Vincent Robinet/CBC)
Former priest Eric Dejaeger plans to address the court as his sentencing hearing wraps up in Iqaluit Thursday.
Dejaeger, 67, was convicted last year on 32 counts of child sexual abuse dating back to his time as a priest in Igloolik, Nunavut, between 1978 and 1982.
On Wednesday, the Crown asked for a sentence of 25 years in prison, while the defence suggested 12 years. Both lawyers suggested Dejaeger be credited two days for every day spent in pre-trial custody. Dejaeger has been in custody since January 2011, when he returned to Canada from Belgium to face charges that were laid in 1995.
On Monday and Tuesday, the court heard victim impact statements. Eighteen victims described to the court how those events affected them physically, emotionally and spiritually.
The CBC’s Peter Worden will report from the courtroom via Twitter. Court will re-convene at 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday.