CBC Sagueny-lac-saint-jean cbc Radio Canada
03 May 2018
Former Father Paul-André Harvey passed away on Thursday, May 3rd. He was 81 years old. He was sentenced in September 2015 to six years in prison at the Federal Training Center, a minimum security penitentiary in Laval, after being convicted of numerous sexual assaults.
The news was corroborated by the Correctional Service of Canada, who explained that the man had “died in custody of apparent natural causes as a result of an illness”.
The agency adds that the circumstances of death will be reviewed, “as is always the case when an inmate dies,” and that the findings of this audit will be communicated to the police and the coroner if necessary.
Recall of facts
Paul-André Harvey had 39 victims aged 6 to 12, and a 23-year-old woman between 1963 and 1987.
The assaults took place in several Saguenay parishes where Paul-André Harvey was involved.
As a result of this conviction, the victims of the former priest brought a class action against him, the diocese of Chicoutimi and the various parishes where he was assigned over the years.
To date, the number of victims registered in the class action has greatly exceeded the 39 victims for which Paul-André Harvey was convicted. There are about 80 of them.
His death prevents him from having to testify in the context of the class action. Last February, the Court of Appeal allowed the various parties to meet with him in private in order to prepare their case, a complaint challenged by the lawyer of the diocese, Me Estelle Tremblay, who wanted the man to be questioned before the all parties, as was the former Bishop of Chicoutimi, Bishop Jean-Guy Couture.
………………………
L’ex-prêtre pédophile Paul-André Harvey est mort
L’ex abbé Paul-André Harvey est décédé le jeudi 3 mai. Il avait 81 ans. Il avait été condamné en septembre 2015 à une peine de six ans de détention qu’il purgait au Centre fédéral de Formation, un pénitencier à sécurité minimum de Laval, après avoir été reconnu coupable de nombreuses agressions sexuelles.
La nouvelle a été confirmée par voie de communiqué par le Service correctionnel du Canada qui explique que l’homme est « décédé sous [sa] garde de causes naturelles apparentes à la suite d’une maladie ».
L’organisme ajoute que les circonstances du décès seront examinées, « comme c’est toujours le cas lors du décès d’un détenu », et que les conclusions de cette vérification seront communiquées à la police et au coroner si nécessaire.
Rappel des faits
Paul-André Harvey a fait 39 victimes âgées de 6 à 12 ans, ainsi qu’une femme de 23 ans, entre 1963 et 1987.
Les agressions se sont déroulées dans plusieurs paroisses de Saguenay dont Paul-André Harvey s’occupait.
À la suite de cette condamnation, les victimes de l’ancien prêtre ont intenté un recours collectif contre lui, le diocèse de Chicoutimi et les différentes paroisses où il a été affecté au fil des ans.
À ce jour, le nombre des victimes inscrites au recours collectif a largement dépassé les 39 victimes pour lesquelles Paul-André Harvey a été condamné. On en compterait près de 80.
Sa mort lui évite de devoir témoigner dans le cadre du recours collectif. La Cour d’appel avait permis en février dernier aux différentes parties de le rencontrer en privé afin de préparer leur cause, une requête contestée par l’avocate du diocèse, Me Estelle Tremblay, qui souhaitait plutôt que l’homme soit interrogé devant l’ensemble des parties, comme l’avait été l’ancien évêque de Chicoutimi, Mgr Jean-Guy Couture.
____________________________________________________
Former abbot Paul-André Harvey dies in prison, guilty of sexual assault
Le Journl de Quebec
SAGUENAY | Former Father Paul-André Harvey, who had admitted to sexually assaulting 39 Saguenay girls, died in prison.
The 81-year-old man had been serving a six-year prison sentence since September 2015. He admitted to assaulting children between the ages of 6 and 12 between 1963 and 1987. One of the victims was 23 years old.
Prison authorities shared the news of his death with the Church’s Young Victims Association on Thursday morning.
“It’s a whirlwind of emotions,” a victim told TVA Nouvelles on condition of anonymity.
The Association brought a class action against the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Chicoutimi, claiming that the bishopric was aware of the abbot’s actions but did nothing to protect the victims.
The Association obtained from the Quebec Court of Appeal the right to meet Paul-André Harvey in private, as recently as February 23rd. This meeting never finally took place.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
…………………………………………
Décès en prison de l’ex-abbé Paul-André Harvey, coupable d’agressions sexuelles
MISE à JOUR