Saskatchewan priest found guilty of sexual assault of a minor

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated since publishing to clarify our attribution to Janko Kolosnjaji’s lawyer. 

The lawyer for a Saskatoon priest who kissed a girl on the lips without her permission said his client collapsed in court Wednesday after being found guilty of sexual assault.

Janko Kolosnjaji was accused of kissing a 13-year-old girl on the lips in 2023 while she and her family were cleaning at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church.

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The priest claimed at the time he intended the kiss to be on the forehead.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During the girl’s testimony at trial, she said the priest hugged her for about 15 to 20 seconds before grabbing her chin, raising her head and kissing her on the lips.

She also claimed he complimented her afterwards, saying she had very beautiful eyes.

Global News spoke to Kolosnjaji’s lawyer Brian Pfefferle on Thursday. He said Kolosnjaji collapsed unconscious after the verdict was read.

Pfefferle said staff used a defibrillator on him before he was taken to hospital where he remained as of Thursday.

His sentencing is set for June.

Kolosnjaji’s lawyer expects to argue that a mandatory minimum sentence of six months would be cruel and unusual due to the priest’s age and the fact that he didn’t seek sexual gratification from the action.