A former Catholic priest who sexually abuses children and adults in Igloolik, Nunavut, has been given parole.
In 2015, Eric Dejager, now 75, was sentenced to 19 years in prison after being convicted of 32 counts of sexual assault. Because he spent some time in custody before the trial, he has 11 years to serve.
As APTN first reported, Dejaeger was legally released on May 19.
The Canada Parole Board has imposed several conditions for his release, including a residence requirement, which means that Dejaeger will have to return to a certain facility every night, although the written decision edits the location. He is not allowed to have children, cannot have contact with his victims and must follow a treatment plan and report on all relationships and friendships with women.
The Early Release Council wrote that without the residence requirement – which Deyager objected to – his release plan “is not viable and does not mitigate [his] unjustified risk. “Instead, Dejaeger had asked to live with the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception, but this residence is opposite a park and sometimes there are guests who take their children for the night.
The Early Release Council cites a 2018 psychological risk assessment, according to which Dejaeger is at moderate risk of re-offending and low to moderate risk of recidivism in general.
The board writes that Dejaeger has “made limited measurable and visible gains in addressing [his] risk, but continues to deny responsibility for many of his crimes.
As for requiring him to return to the facility every night, the early release committee said it was due to several factors, including the fact that Deyager once fled the country while on bail and needed a high level of supervision.
The crimes Dejaeger was convicted of in 2015 date back to his time as a priest in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982. He fled Canada from Belgium in 2002 despite an arrest warrant throughout Canada, but was expelled from Belgium. in 2011 and sent back to Canada.
He eventually pleaded guilty to eight sex charges and was convicted of 24 other offenses, ranging from indecent assault to sexual assault and atrocity.
Later in 2015, he was also convicted of sexually abusing children in Alberta.
He was also convicted in 1990 of sexually abusing children at Lake Baker.
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