Former Windsor priest to stay behind bars
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 2:43 PM ET
CBC News
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A former Windsor priest who was arrested in the Dominican Republic and accused of sexually abusing teenaged boys in Haiti was denied bail Thursday.
John Duarte, 44, will remain in custody at the Windsor Jail while he waits for his trial to begin.
A photo of John Duarte, centre, shows him in Haiti, where he did charity and missionary work. (CBC) Duarte has been charged with nine counts of sexual exploitation involving teenaged boys in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as the tiny fishing village of Labadie, where he worked for a Windsor-based charity group, Hearts Together for Haiti (HTFHaiti).
He was arrested in late October at a beach village in the Dominican Republic following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Duarte was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1996 and served at a number of parishes in the diocese of London, Ont., including Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Windsor and St. Gregory the Great in Tecumseh.
Around 30 friends and supporters, calling themselves "Friends of John," filled the courtroom to support Duarte, who looked tired during Thursday's hearing.
Duarte is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 8 by video from the Windsor Jail.
Canadian citizens who are charged with committing sex offences against children in other countries can be prosecuted in Canada.
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