Closing arguments heard in Winnipeg trial of priest charged with indecent assault

By The Canadian Press on March 8, 2023.

Arthur Masse leaves court at the Law Courts building in Winnipeg, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Closing arguments in the trial of a retired priest accused of assaulting a First Nations woman while she was a student at a former residential school are expected to begin this morning in Winnipeg. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Brittany Hobson

WINNIPEG – A two-day trial in Winnipeg has wrapped up for a retired priest accused of assaulting a First Nations woman when she attended a former residential school more than 50 years ago.

Arthur Masse, who is now 93, is charged with one count of indecent assault from when the woman was a 10-year-old student at the Fort Alexander Residential school north of Winnipeg.

A Manitoba Court of King’s Bench justice has heard closing remarks from the Crown and the priest’s defence lawyer.

Masse’s lawyer argues the woman’s testimony was inconsistent and unreliable due to the passage of time.

The Crown says the accuser never wavered in her recollection of what happened to her.

Justice Candace Grammond reserved her decision for the end of the month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.

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