IQALUIT, Nunavut - A former priest has denied sexually abusing dozens of Inuit children in a remote Arctic community.
Eric Dejaeger pleaded guilty to eight counts when his trial began in November, but yesterday he said he committed none of the remaining 68 assaults he's accused of.
He was posted as an Oblate missionary in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982.
Witnesses have accused Dejaeger of abusing children in his bedroom and several other locations while other children coloured pictures of Bible stories nearby.
Several people testified Dejaeger forced them to watch him sexually assault his dog, an accusation Dejaeger denied yesterday, saying he likes his dogs, but not in that way.
Dejaeger described the assaults he did plead guilty to, saying it only involved fondling the individuals over their clothes after they'd come into his bedroom.
Dejaeger previously served a five-year sentence on 11 counts of sexual assault and indecent assault against children in Baker Lake, where he was posted after Igloolik.
