CORNER BROOK — Roman Catholic priest George Ansel Smith pleaded guilty to 35 of 62 sex charges against him Monday.
Represented by his lawyer, Tom Williams, at the Supreme Court appearance in Corner Brook, the 74-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 22. Williams did not request a pre-sentence report to assist with that sentencing.
There are still eight outstanding charges, the last of the 70 in total he faces to be filed with the court. They are set to be dealt with Oct. 1.
The charges against Smith, who was not present in court Monday, stem from incidents involving young boys in six western Newfoundland communities from 1969 to 1989. The latter eight charges filed with the court involve three complainants, including two incidents alleged to have taken place in Nova Scotia in 1974 and the others in western Newfoundland communities.
The western Newfoundland communities where Smith once served as a priest include, Port Saunders, Corner Brook, Stephenville, St. Fintan's, Cape St. George and Deer Lake.
The 70 charges include counts of gross indecency, indecent assault and unlawful assault with intent to commit an indictable offence.
There is a court-ordered publication ban in place against any information that may identify of the victims or witnesses in this case.
