A 97-year-old former nun from northern Ontario accused of sexual assault stemming from incidents in the 1960s and 1970s could well face a five-year prison sentence despite her age.
Ninety-year-old Françoise Séguin was formally charged after a complaint was filed against her late in 2022 following an investigation by the Ottawa Provincial Police (OPP), Global News reported Thursday.
The former nun and teacher is therefore facing three charges of “gross indecency”, a criminal offense that was abolished in 1987 and which, according to English-language media, could carry a prison sentence of up to five years.
However, changes were made that same year to ensure that charges could be brought for prior sexual offenses to the extent the alleged conduct still constitutes a criminal offense under current law, the Ottawa Citizen said.
According to an OPP spokesman, the attacks occurred at the Pensionnat Sainte-Anne in Fort Albany, at the École Évêque Belleau in Moosonee and at a detention center in Sudbury.
However, according to the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, the nonagenarian would not be the only former employee against whom criminal charges have been brought at the Sainte-Anne boarding school.
“Four employees were found guilty of indecent assault, assault, battery and administering harmful substances,” he was quoted as saying, according to Global News.
Françoise Séguin is scheduled to perform in Moosonee on December 5th.