Sexual assault trial of former priest begins in Iqaluit

The trial for a former Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse began at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit on Monday. 

Eric Dejaeger faces eight counts of historical sexual assault. 

The charges stem from what is alleged to have happened while Dejaeger was working as a priest in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982, according to court documents. The investigations happened between 2011 and 2015.

Dejaeger was arrested on the charges in Kingston, Ont., in June 2023 and taken into custody in Iqaluit. He was 76 at the time. He was then granted bail on the condition that he live at the Henry Traill Community Correctional Centre in Kingston, which has 24-hour supervision. 

The trial in Nunavut was adjourned to Tuesday morning while Crown and defence lawyers discuss an issue surrounding Inuktitut interpretation and a police officer’s notes. 

The Crown is expected to call its first witness when the trial resumes. 

This is not the first time Dejaeger faces a sexual abuse trial. 

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2015 after a court found him guilty of 32 counts of child sexual abuse during his time as a priest in Igloolik. He was released on parole in May 2022.

The judge-only trial is scheduled to take two weeks.