New Brunswick

Man testifies he was abused up to 15 times by former priest in 1970s

The second indecent assault trial of Yvon Arsenault began Tuesday with testimony from the alleged victim, who said he was touched 10 to 15 times by the former priest.

Court hears alleged victim's account of being molested at a boys club in Shediac

Yvon Arsenault, in a picture from February 2017, before he went to prison for molesting nine boys. (CBC)

The second indecent assault trial of Yvon Arsenault began Tuesday with testimony from the alleged victim, who said he was touched 10 to 15 times by the former priest. 

Arsenault is on trial in Moncton on charges of indecent assault and gross indecency. 

The 75-year-old is already serving a four-year prison sentence. In 2016, he admitted to nine counts of indecent assault for crimes committed between 1971 and 1980, when he was pastor in Shediac, Rosaireville and Collette.

The new charges were brought against the ex-parish priest in May 2017 for acts allegedly committed in the early 1970s.

The first witness, a man who cannot be identified, said he was 10 to 12 years old when Arsenault assaulted him in a former convent in Shediac that had been converted into a boys club.

The witness told the court he was touched in private places, and it happened 10 to 15 times from 1970 to 1972.

The assaults took place in different rooms at the club and lasted two to three minutes, he said.

Arsenault showed no reaction as he listened the witness testify. 

The trial, taking place before a judge alone in the Court of Queen's Bench, is expected to take four days. 

With files from Radio Canada