‘Sick monster’: Defrocked priest pleads guilty to sex assaults of children in Nunavut

WARNING: This communicative contains graphic details of kid intersexual battle that whitethorn beryllium disturbing for immoderate readers

A erstwhile Catholic priest’s enactment assaults connected Inuit children decades agone successful Nunavut transformed a erstwhile affable and trusting hamlet of Igloolik into a spot marred by choler and addiction, tribunal heard Thursday.

Wails and shouts could beryllium heard successful the Iqaluit courtroom wherever Eric Dejaeger pleaded blameworthy to indecent assaults against six girls and 1 lad betwixt 1978 and 1982. He’d antecedently been convicted of dozens of offences against children and immoderate adults.

A woman, whose relatives were abused by Dejaeger and was successful tribunal to connection support, work a unfortunate interaction connection describing the harm done to the tight-knit community.

“I grew up successful Igloolik, successful a beauteous situation (where) everybody knows everybody, greeting each different with smiles and laughter. There was overmuch respect for each different successful that community,” she said.

“Today, that situation is gone … The erstwhile blessed assemblage is present filled with anger, disrespect, maltreatment and intelligence illness.”

She called Dejaeger a “sick monster.”

Indecent battle is nary longer listed arsenic an offence nether the Criminal Code but was astatine the clip the offences occurred.

Prosecutor Emma Baasch described each of the assaults successful graphic item successful the Nunavut Court of Justice. Baasch spoke of horrific enactment acts. Children were arsenic young arsenic 4 erstwhile the maltreatment began, she said. One complainant described blacking retired from the pain.

In immoderate cases, it began with the clergyman offering the children candy. Court heard Dejaeger gave a representation to a miss to colour earlier taking her connected his thigh and assaulting her. It was of Jesus giving idiosyncratic a flower.

Of 1 victim, the authoritative said, “Mr. Dejaeger told her she would spell to hellhole if she said anything.”

Baasch said Dejaeger told different miss “that Jesus would not judge her anymore” if she told anyone what happened.

A pistillate who said the maltreatment started erstwhile she was six years aged said she would urinate connected herself to support herself. The much it smelled, the safer she felt.

“I would fto it adust and bash the aforesaid happening each implicit again. I refused to alteration my underwear and my pants,” she said.

“I wanted revenge for the small miss helium hurt. I wanted revenge due to the fact that the small miss was scared. I don’t privation revenge anymore.

Some delivering unfortunate interaction statements spoke of however they volition nary longer acceptable ft successful a Catholic religion oregon fto their children bash so.

“I don’t similar to spell to religion anymore, adjacent if it’s a peculiar occasion,” 1 pistillate said successful her unfortunate interaction statement.

“I hatred seeing caller priests travel to our community. I hatred the odor of the incense that the Catholic religion uses.”

She said she precocious recovered her commencement certificate and that she planned to pain it due to the fact that she thinks Dejaeger whitethorn person baptized her.

“I volition present cheque and pain it, adjacent if Eric’s sanction isn’t connected it due to the fact that it comes from the Catholic church.”

A representation of that pistillate erstwhile she was 5 years aged was presented to the tribunal arsenic an exhibit, and pained wailing could beryllium heard successful the video league of the tribunal proceedings.

“Look! I anticipation you admit her,” a pistillate could beryllium heard shouting. “She’s innocent. How would you interaction a five-year-old?”

Some women described feeling uneasy receiving carnal affection from boyfriends oregon husbands and utilizing drugs and intoxicant to easiness the pain. They besides said they’re acrophobic of dogs due to the fact that Dejaeger had one.

RCMP announced successful June 2023 that Dejaeger had been arrested connected a Canada-wide warrant successful Kingston, Ont., wherever helium had been living. They said the charges stemmed from investigations conducted betwixt 2011 and 2015.

He was antecedently convicted of committing galore intersexual offences while moving arsenic an Oblate missionary.

Dejaeger served portion of a five-year sentence, opening successful 1990, for intersexual crimes against children successful Baker Lake, Nvt., committed betwixt 1982 and 1989.

In 2015, helium was sentenced to 19 years successful situation for 32 crimes against Inuit children and immoderate adults betwixt 1978 and 1982 successful Igloolik. The offences included indecent assault, unlawful confinement and bestiality.

Later that year, helium was besides sentenced for humanities intersexual offences against children successful Alberta, to beryllium served concurrently with his condemnation for the earlier Igloolik charges.

He was fixed statutory merchandise connected May 19, 2022, aft serving two-thirds of his sentence.