Ex-priest acquitted of indecent assault at Manitoba residential school
CBC
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
A retired priest accused of assaulting a First Nations girl at a Manitoba residential school more than 50 years ago has been acquitted.
Victoria McIntosh alleged she was assaulted by Arthur Masse, now 93, in a bathroom of the Fort Alexander Residential School sometime between 1968 and 1970, when she was around the age of 10.
Loved ones hugged her in court in Winnipeg as Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Candace Grammond read her decision on Thursday acquitting Masse.
Grammond said she believes McIntosh was assaulted, but she wasn't persuaded that Masse in particular was the one who did it.
"I have concluded when taken as a whole her identification of the accused was not sufficiently reliable to convince me beyond a reasonable doubt that he perpetrated an assault," Justice Grammond told court on Thursday.
McIntosh and Masse were the only witnesses who testified in the two-day judge-alone trial earlier this month.
The First Nations woman told court the alleged assault lasted about a minute and Masse told her afterward not to tell anyone.
Masse testified that he did not assault McIntosh and said he had no recollection of interacting with her when she was a student.
McIntosh first reported the assault allegation to police in 2015 and has said it took her several years to feel she could speak about what happened.
More to come
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.
Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.
