Defrocked Nunavut priest arrested on historical sexual assault charges
By The Canadian Press on June 7, 2023.
KINGSTON, Ont. – A defrocked Oblate priest and convicted sex offender is facing eight new criminal charges for historical sexual assaults he allegedly committed while living in Nunavut. Iqaluit RCMP say Eric Dejaeger was arrested in Kingston, Ontario, today on a Canada wide arrest warrant. Police say he will be transported to Iqaluit to appear on the charges before the Nunavut Court of Justice. In 2015, Dejaeger was sentenced to 19 years in prison for 32 crimes he committed against Inuit children and some adults between 1978 and 1982 in Igloolik where he was an Oblate missionary. The convictions included indecent assault, unlawful confinement and beastiality. Later that year he was also sentenced for historical sexual offences against children in Alberta. He was given statutory release in May 2022 after serving two-thirds of his sentence. Dejaeger was also previously sentenced in 1990 for sexual crimes against children in Baker Lake, Nunavut. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023. 10-9
