A Roman Catholic bishop has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography for the purposes of importation to Canada.
Raymond Lahey, former head of the diocese of Antigonish, N.S., told an Ottawa court Wednesday that he possessed and imported child pornography for personal use.
The 70-year-old, through his lawyer, then pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography for the purposes of importing it to Canada. After defence lawyer Michael Edelson said the pornography was intended only for personal use, the judge agreed to remove a charge of distributing child pornography.
The grey-haired cleric spoke only once during the proceedings, uttering the words "Guilty, your honour," when he was arraigned on the amended charge....
Hundreds of pornographic photos, videos
When customs agents searched his bags, they found a computer, several memory sticks and memory cards.
Court heard on Wednesday that a forensic audit of the laptop and handheld device found 588 graphic images of child pornography, 33 videos and pornographic stories featuring children enslaved and degraded. They also found sex toys.
The judge and lawyers reviewed the images privately on a police detective's laptop in the witness box before Justice Jack Kirkland had them sealed.
Lahey initially told police he was attracted to men aged 20, but officers said a few of the boys involved in sex acts whose images were captured on Lahey's laptop looked to be as young as eight.
A native of Newfoundland and Labrador, Lahey resigned from the Antigonish diocese the day after he was charged.
In August 2009, he brokered a $15-million settlement for victims of sexual abuse by priests of the diocese of Antigonish dating back to 1950. At the time, Lahey said sorry to the victims on behalf of the church.
"I want to formally apologize to every victim and to their families for the sexual abuse that was inflicted upon those young people who were entitled instead to the trust and protection of priests of the church," the bishop said in 2009.
"The Catholic Church condemns sexual exploitation in all its forms, especially when perpetrated against minors," said a statement from the Vatican's press office.
"Recognizing the confusion and anger that this case has engendered among many of the faithful, we underscore our pastoral concern for those who have experienced great pain as a result of these events," said the statement.
"I want them to know how terribly sorry we are, how wrong this abuse was, and how we are now trying to right these past wrongs."
The Roman Catholic Church in St. John's denies any responsibility for alleged sexual misconduct by Bishop Raymond Lahey when he was a priest in the city.
This man was already charged with abusing boys and had the audacity to try and smuggle smut into Canada just the same.
