Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
IQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) — A defrocked Arctic priest has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for dozens of sex crimes against Inuit children.
Eric Dejaeger's crimes took place 35 years ago in the remote Canadian community of Igloolik when he was there as an Oblate missionary.
"An exemplary sentence is needed to reflect not only the high moral blameworthiness associated with the crimes, but to denounce and deter sexual offences against children and adolescent," Justice Robert Kilpatrick said in his decision released Wednesday.
Dejaeger was convicted earlier this year on a total of 32 charges.
He was originally supposed to be tried on some of the charges in 1995, but fled to his native Belgium and lived in Oblate homes until he was returned to Canada for immigration violations.
Dejaeger's victims included 12 boys and 10 girls, most between eight and 12 years-old.
He also abused a dog in front of two children.
Many testified that Dejaeger threatened them with hellfire or separation from their families if they told.
Sometimes he dangled food in front of hungry children as a lure. His return roiled long-suppressed memories and traumas in Igloolik and an emotional trial released decades of pent-up grief.
The Nunavut government made extra mental-health workers available to both witnesses and the community. Nunavut is a Canadian territory in the Arctic.
Dejaeger was returned to Canada from Belgium in January 2011 for an immigration violation rather than on an extradition order. A Belgian journalist realized that Dejaeger had lost his Belgian citizenship in 1977 when he became a naturalized Canadian. He was kicked out because he had been living in Belgium since 1995 without a visa.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
