Defrocked priest Eric Dejaeger appears in Iqaluit court

Ex-priest Eric Dejaeger, who was previously convicted on numerous sex-related charges and now faces eight new counts of historical sexual assault, appeared in court in Iqaluit Thursday.

Six people are alleging Dejaeger sexually assaulted them in Igloolik between the years of 1978 and 1982, while he was working in the hamlet as an Oblate priest.

His appearance in court Thursday was brief. Dressed in a grey sweater with white and red cuffs, Dejaeger was silent and did not express any emotion as a room full of journalists looked on.

Dejaeger, 76, was arrested in Kingston, Ont., on Wednesday on a Canada-wide warrant.

In announcing his arrest Wednesday, Nunavut RCMP said the charges relate to investigations conducted between 2011 and 2015.

Dejaeger was convicted in 2015 on more than 30 counts of sexual abuse from incidents that occurred between 1974 and 1989.

He was released from prison one year ago after serving two-thirds of a 19-year sentence, which included time served prior to his being convicted.

The majority of his victims were between the ages of nine and 13.

Dejaeger was diagnosed with pedophilia during a court-ordered pre-sentence psychological assessment in 1989.

He had also been incarcerated from 1990 to 1995 for sex-related crimes.

Dejaeger’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 27.