“At the time of the assaults, the survivor was 11-12 years of age,” RCMP from Russell, Man. said in a news release Thursday.
An 81-year-old former priest from Regina has been arrested by Manitoba RCMP for a historical sexual assault.
Russell RCMP received a report on March 16, 2022, from a woman in her 60s who said she had been sexually assaulted multiple times over the course of two years by the priest when she was a parishioner at St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox Church in Lennard, Man., according to an RCMP news release issued Thursday morning.
“At the time of the assaults, the survivor was 11-12 years of age,” the release noted.
Police arrested Constantin Turcoane on June 13, 2024 in relation to the alleged assaults, which are said to date back to the early 1970s.
“The investigation involved locating and taking statements from multiple people, a search of historic church records, and liaising with church-related organizations … A warrant of arrest was issued for Turcoane for Rape (1970) and Sexual Intercourse Under 14 (1970),” stated the release.
The former priest turned himself into police and has been released with a court date, the RCMP says.
“Police do believe there are further survivors and ask them to call the Russell RCMP Detachment at 204-773-2675,” adds the release.
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