WINDSOR, Ont. – Former Windsor priest John Duarte was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual interference in connection with incidents involving teenage boys in Haiti.
With time served, Duarte is expected to be free in eight months.
Justice Bruce Thomas admonished Duarte’s supporters in the courtroom for treating the case as if it were a "persecution," rather than a prosecution.
Duarte referred to the story of the prodigal son during a tearful statement in a subdued Superior Court, where he acknowledged his sins against God and apologized to area priests who might have been tarnished by his actions.
Duarte also apologized to Hearts Together for Haiti, the Windsor-based charity devoted to the poor in Labadie, on Haiti’s north coast, where the incidents occurred.
Duarte had initially been charged with nine counts but pleaded guilty only to three, which involved boys aged 16 and 17 and which occurred between 2000 and 2006.
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