A Battlefords courtroom clapped enthusiastically on Tuesday as Paul Leroux was convicted of multiple sex crimes.
The former boys’ dormitory supervisor, who was employed at the Beauval Indian Residential School in the 1960’s, was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency.
He also had seven charges dismissed.
Prosecutor Mitch Piché says the Crown is pleased with the outcome of the trial.
“I think the judgment was very thorough and touched all the necessary areas that should have been dealt with during the course of this trial,” he says.
Leroux will remain in custody until sentencing, something Piché says he argued strongly for.
“Well my concern is that he would run. Although I wasn’t sure of that, I certainly wouldn’t want all this effort, all this emotional expense of all the witnesses, work in the trial, and all of a sudden he’s gone.”
One of the 14 complainants in the trial, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, says he is happy justice is finally being served after all these years.
“I’m very pleased with the outcome, this is after 50 years of living in denial and I believe what today brings will be fairness to us as victims,” he says.
Waterhen Lake First Nation Chief Carol Bernard adds the decision allows the healing process to begin.
“I know that this is just the first step to our own healing in our community because of the generational impacts that have impacted all of our community in one form or another,” she says.
In rendering his decision, Judge Murray Acton noted Leroux was in a position of trust at the school, served as a father figure, and developed close relationships with a number of students.
He added he believes the former dorm supervisor genuinely cared for the boys but with some students the relationships went too far and eventually ended up in sexual assault.
Acton also said because of the length of time that has passed and the age of the complainants at the time of the incidents, it is not surprising that some witness testimony contains inconsistencies.
However, he said the testimony of a number of the complainants had certain commonalities such as the assaults often occurred at night and in the dorm, usually escalated and eventually involved activities in Leroux’s office.
The former dorm supervisor returns to court on Dec. 5 for sentencing.
In 1998, Paul Leroux was convicted of a number sex crimes dating back to his time as a dorm supervisor at a residential school in Inuvik in the 1970’s.