IQALUIT, NUNAVUT--(Marketwired - Feb. 4, 2015) - Eric Dejaeger, 67, was sentenced today in the Nunavut Court of Justice to 19 years in prison for sex crimes against children. With credit for time served on remand, the remainder to be served is 11 years.
He was found guilty on September 12, 2014, of 31 counts of sexual offences against children and one count of bestiality. Most of the crimes were committed in the Hamlet of Igloolik in what was then the Northwest Territories, where he was one of the local priests, between 1978 and 1982. He was found not guilty of 48 other charges.
He was arrested on January 20, 2011, when he was returned to Canada after spending 15 years in Belgium. He has been in custody since.
Both parties have 30 days to decide whether to appeal this decision.
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada is responsible for prosecuting offences under federal jurisdiction in a manner that is free of any improper influence and that respects the public interest. The PPSC is also responsible for providing prosecution-related advice to law enforcement agencies across Canada.
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