George Smith, seen during a 2012 court appearance in Corner Brook, plied his young victims with alcohol before sexually assaulting them. (CBC)
A retired Roman Catholic priest was given an 11-year sentence in a western Newfoundland court on Thursday for sexually abusing children.
George Ansel Smith, 75, was sentenced in Supreme Court in Corner Brook for offences involving 13 children he assaulted between 1969 and 1989.
Smith pleaded guilty to 38 charges, including sexual assault, indecent assault and assault. The offences occurred largely in western Newfoundland, but also involved complainants in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Smith was suspended from his duties at a Prince Edward Island parish in 2010 when charges were first laid.
Court had been told that Smith followed a similar pattern with many of his victims who were often altar boys or children of families involved with the churches where Smith worked as a parish priest.
Court was told that Smith would ask the boys to help with tasks at his home, but would then ply them with alcohol. They would often pass out from the alcohol, only to wake up with Smith molesting them.
Smith will receive credit for the year that he has already spent in jail.
The sentence was in the range recommended by the Crown.
Justice William Goodridge stayed three charges.
Who in the hell pays or paid the legal expenses for this pervert? Will he only serve about 7 or 8 years? The justice system in canada doesn,t do justice for the victims of these pedophiles & sick homosexuals who take the life of our young children & teenagers as they are sentenced to “LIFE” for doing nothing only to be put in the hands of these perverts. With the election of a new pope i wonder if there is any hope of cleaning out all these sickos & also wonder how many of the 115 cardinals are also pedophiles & homosexual , right down to the system from top to bottom? I don,t want to leave the church now but will not contribute to it in a monetary way anymore as all i do it seems is donate to a slush fund to protect the trash that should be forced to get legal aid like the rest of us poor seniors & poor layity do. God help us to remain strong & like to think maybe there are a few clergy somewhere who stick to their vows they swore to on entering the priesthood.