IQALUIT
Convicted child molester and former Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger was sentenced to 19 years, less eight years for time served, in a written decision by Justice Robert Kilpatrick released Feb. 4.

Convicted child molester and former Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger, shown outside the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit Jan. 20, was sentenced to 19 years, less time served, in a written decision by Justice Robert Kilpatrick released Feb. 4. - NNSL photo Read the full decision

"Based on existing jurisprudence, this 19-year sentence is at the very high end for fixed-term sentences of imprisonment in Canada," stated Kilpatrick in his decision. "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 adolescents in Nunavut."

In his decision, Kilpatrick noted several times "the court must also consider jurisdictional factors unique to Nunavut."

"The commission of sexual offences is a persistent and serious problem in all of Nunavut's communities. Nunavut leads the country in the per capita rate of commission of this type of crime."

The prison sentence is the result of eight charges Dejaeger pleaded guilty to and 24 convictions that came after a trial in late 2013 and early 2014, all stemming from sex crimes committed against Inuit children and youth between four and 20 years of age in Iglulik between 1978 and 1982. Most of the victims were between nine and 13 years of age. When the matter came to trial, Dejaeger faced 72 charges.

"The parishioners of Iglulik expected their priest to be a doer of good deeds. The reality would be very different," said Kilpatrick.

"This priest was expected to devote his life to God. He was in Iglulik to serve others. He was to teach by example. The conventions of the Roman Catholic Church hold the priest to be a moral exemplar of the church's teachings.

"Instead of moral probity, there was licentiousness and depravity. Instead of honesty and personal integrity, there was duplicity and hypocrisy. Instead of kindness, there was selfish self-gratification and disrespect."

During the four-day sentencing hearing in late January, defence attorney Malcolm Kempt argued that his client's sentence should not be greater than 12 years based on previous Canadian sentencing in similar matters. Kilpatrick found that suggestion inadequate.

"The proposed global sentence of 12 years of imprisonment suggested by the defence is not proportional to the number and gravity of Mr. Dejaeger's offences or the high moral culpability flowing from the circumstances in which they were committed," he said.

Crown attorney Doug Curliss had suggested that Dejaeger should receive no less 25 years, adjusted from almost 80 years considered by the Crown if each charge was given its own penalty and the jail time was served consecutively.

In a count-by count-calculation, Kilpatrick arrived at a total global sentence similar to Curliss's at 79 years, three months, and then adjusted it to 19 years.

"Given the present age of the offender, a 25-year sentence would likely result in this offender serving a sentence of imprisonment until death intervened," he said.

Dejaeger served four years in remand for which he receives eight years of credit.

"This results in a net sentence of 11 years imprisonment remaining to be served. Mr. Dejaeger will be 78 years of age at warrant expiry."

After acknowledging the service of support workers present during the lengthy process that has ultimately seen Dejaeger punished for his crimes, Kilpatrick had harsh words for the offender.

"Your selfishness has devastated a generation of young Roman Catholic parishioners in Iglulik. Many lives have been irrevocably altered by your dark legacy. For many victims, the commission of your offence has marked the end of living and the beginning of their survival. You must now atone for the many wrongs that you have inflicted on others. This sentence is only the beginning of that atonement."

For the victims, Kilpatrick expressed heartfelt care, acknowledging "this court is powerless to undo the past" and that no sentence can compensate them for what has been lost and for their "pain and anguish."

"For many of you, no sentence will ever be long enough, or hard enough," Kilpatrick stated.

"Your anger must be put aside. Your trust in others must be restored. You must learn to rely on the good around you, in your family, in your neighbors, and in your community. Despite what has happened to you, there is still much good in people. It is all around you. You will find that by sharing your burden with others, the burden will eventually become easier to carry.

"The time has now come for you to move on with your lives. The court wishes you well in the long healing journey that lies ahead."

Included in the written decision "are graphs that starkly demonstrate the alarming incidence of sexual violence generally and sexual violence against children in Nunavut that compare Nunavut's crime rates to the rest of the country and the Northern territories."

A link to Kilpatrick's complete written decision is available here.