Quebec clergy member pleads guilty, sentenced to three-and-a-half years for sex crimes against children
A Quebec clergy member pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to sexually abusing 12 students from the College Bourget boarding school in Rigaud where he was a supervisor during the 1980s.
Jean Pilon, a member of the Clerics of St-Viateur, was sentenced to three-and-a-half-years after the guilty plea at the Valleyfield Courthouse, outside of Montreal.
The hearing was an emotional one as eight of his victims took the stand to tell the court how his abuse caused a lifetime of anxiety, depression, and shame.
"It's hard to keep, it's a big — in French, 'un gros moton sur le coeur' — but you have to overcome all these events, and become a better person every day," said Brian Ford, one of the victims.
When it was Pilon's turn to take the stand, he offered an apology and told the court he was "demolished inside" after hearing about the victims' suffering. Jeers could be heard from the courtroom, while others simply walked out not wanting to hear any more.
The Surete du Quebec arrested Pilon in June 2020, when he was 78, along with four other congregation members in connection with sex crimes against young boys and girls that allegedly took place between 1961 and 1989.
The men were responsible for teaching children in several Quebec schools.
Prosecutor Mylene Brown said it was "important" that Pilon pleaded guilty for all the victims in his case. The three-and-a-half-year sentence was agreed upon between the prosecution and defence, which the judge accepted.
The guilty plea does not bring the case for Pilon to an end. A class action lawsuit is still underway, alleging the entire congregation of St-Viateur knew what was going on, but did nothing about it.
Lawyers representing the victims in the lawsuit say a settlement is in the works, with more than 300 people allegedly being identified as defendants.
With files from CTV News Montreal's Stephane Giroux
Correction
A statement from lawyers for the class action lawsuit referred to Jean Pilon as a priest, but he was in fact a member of the clergy. CTV has updated the article to reflect the correction.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.