19 January 2011
By Jason Miller QMI Agency
PICTON—A former Roman Catholic priest and convicted child molester should know by March 9 if he will be brought back to the Quinte region from a Hamilton jail to have the Crown stay charges laid against him for an October bail violation.
Donald Grecco is currently serving an 18-month jail term for the child molestation charges. Following his Dec. 13 sentencing, it was recommended Grecco serve his time at a Brampton jail that specializes in providing extensive treatment for sexual offenders.
Justice Geoff Griffin has openly voiced his concern that bringing Grecco to the Napanee jail could hamper his chances of being expediently admitted into a correctional facility that offers remedial programs for sexual offenders.
Griffin said during Wednesday’s court date bringing Grecco here could potentially cause the 70-year-old to lose his spot on the waiting list. He said Grecco will not be getting the “benefits of sexual counselling,” while he’s being held here.
Grecco was absent for the second time this month for his appearance in the Picton provincial court for breaching his residency requirements while he was released on bail on the child molestation charges.
He was ordered to remain at a Prince Edward County address to await his sentencing after he pleaded guilty in March to three counts of gross indecency.
Grecco already served 21 days for the breach following his arrest by Prince Edward County OPP in October. The St. Catharines man was released from the Napanee jail Nov. 5.
Griffin expressed that the disgraced ex-priest, who is in jail for abusing three altar boys in the 1970s and 1980s, was already released on the grounds that he served sufficient time for the breach.
Crown attorney Jodi Whyte admitted that while she did not totally disagree with Griffin, “there are powers above me that disagree,” and she was simply acting under the advice of her superiors.
Michael Blum and James Hennessy, two of the victims who were abused some 30 years ago, have both filed $3 million lawsuits against the ex-priest.
In the lawsuit documents filed, Blum alleges abuse and negligence. When Blum’s lawyers attempted to serve Grecco with the lawsuit papers, they could not find him as he wasn’t at the address where he was supposed to be.
He was later found and arrested by Prince Edward County OPP. The civil suit claims haven’t been proven in court.
Grecco was ordained in 1966 and served as a pastor at St. Kevin’s and St. Mary’s churches in Welland, St. George’s in Crystal Beach, St. Alexander in Fonthill, St. Vincent de Paul in Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Thomas More in Niagara Falls and St. Stephen’s in Cayuga. Grecco was in his 12th year as a priest when the abuse began.
jmiller@intelligencer.ca
Article ID# 2937077
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Comments on this Article.
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There is no treatment for sex offenders that actually works. Who are they kidding???? This guy needs to be in Kingston Pen for the rest of his life not in County Jail! He is the scum of the earth and will never change!
Post #1 By buffy111_99
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Unfortunately the bleeding hearts have convinced many that there is treatment; however, a convicted child molester who was on the John Walsh show admitted that he didn’t know how long he would be able to refrain from molesting another little boy. He even said there was no cure. All it has turned out to be is a revolving door on the prisons and when they are out, the children are the ones who suffer for it.
Post #2 By vestal
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The only cure for these animals is castration.
Post #3 By RIGHTISRIGHT
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Put this dude in a wood chipper and spread him on a Quinte farm as fertilizer. Now that’s a farm program for inmates I can live with!
Post #4 By yorong_again,
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re; rightisright … ouch sounds like a lota hurt, but then again theres no amount of hurt to measure the amount that young person endured.So yes after that i’d throw him away in prison for the rest of his life, with NO chance of parole.
Post #5 By valbearvermette,
re; young_again,,, your humor is awfully terrible, perhaps a real in anyones sane mind would be worth reading from you
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Post #6 By valbearvermette,
LOL – great idea, y_again!