Christopher Norman Jost appeared in court Wednesday to face four charges related to an alleged sexual assault at a downtown church over the weekend.
The 46-year-old is accused of forcing a 19-year-old woman into the basement of St. James the Apostle Church on Ste. Catherine St. at Bishop St. Saturday and forcing her to fondle him.
Jost is a convicted sex offender, who was part of a rehabilitation program at the church. He worked and volunteered there and had a key to the premises.
“There's a great sense of betrayal and sadness on many people's parts and lots of questions,” said Bishop Barry Clarke of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
The incident, which took place as the young woman was trying to take pictures of the church, has left the woman, the parish and the wider Anglican church community in shock.
Clarke said it seemed Jost was turning his life around at the church.
“He was involved in the Montreal southwest community ministry, which is supervised by a chaplain from Corrections Canada that worked with inmates who have been discharged from prison to help them reintegrate into society,” said Clarke.
Jost had been living in a halfway house in Montreal since 2008, after serving six years in prison for sexually assaulting a teen in New Brunswick.
He had a nightly curfew and was under the long-term supervision of Correctional Service Canada.
Court documents show in 2009, he pleaded guilty to breaching his conditions and was sentenced to 11 months in jail.
He became involved with St. James the Apostle Church two years ago, where they gave him an opportunity to work and volunteer.
“Particularly around cleaning and maintaining the building, and as time progressed there was an element of trust that was built up,” said Clarke.
So much, that he was given a key to the church.
His personality seemed to win people over, said the bishop.
“A number of people met him and he was well-liked and presented himself well, and he was supportive and friendly,” he said.
Jost was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a police tip.
“It's information that was received by police services that lead us to the place where this man was located on the South Shore of Montreal,” said Raphael Bergeron of the Montreal police.
