Class project UVic students help city with climate-action plan Page A3
NEWS: Fire chief speaks on medical pot decision /A5 ARTS: Victoria singer keeps career dreams alive /A10 SPORTS: HarbourCats ink academy grads /A17
VICTORIANEWS VICTORIA Friday, December 21, 2012
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Former Saanich priest pressed about sexual compulsions Phillip Jacobs offers testimony on prior abuse of boys Edward Hill News staff
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Yellow Cab assistant manager Samantha Lazeo, left, and manager Victoria Taylor show a portion of the stuffed animal collection that will be given away to children at a charitable Christmas dinner tomorrow (Dec. 22) at First Metropolitan United Church on Balmoral Road at Quadra Street. The dinner, now in its third year, is aimed at families and individuals in need and is organized by Sushil Hira, president of the cab company.
Giving back at Christmastime Business leaders team up to host third annual dinner People in Victoria without the means to put on a full Christmas spread can find one tomorrow (Dec. 22), thanks to some partnerships in the business community. The idea of putting on a charity Christmas dinner came to Yellow Cab president Sushil Hira three years ago, around the time friend Gordy Dodd
was hosting his annual charitable Thanksgiving dinner. “Nobody was doing it for Christmas, so I said, ‘Gordy we need to do something for Christmas as well,’” Hira said. While he isn’t Christian, he wanted to take part in this traditionally Christian holiday. “This is the season where we don’t want anybody to be left without celebration. It’s not only Christian now. It’s everyone who celebrates. It has become a part of our culture.” For this reason, he pitched the idea of a Christmas dinner to Dodd, and
the two men agreed to host the event together. Now in its third year, the Christmas dinner idea has expanded. Dodd is heading to Nanaimo to launch a dinner there, while Hira is taking the lead on the Victoria dinner with the help of friend Sweetpal Singh, managing director of Shell at 100 Esquimalt Rd. “We will also be giving some blankets and some gifts,” Hira said.
Phillip Jacobs denied that he molested male students at St. Joseph the Worker church, but admitted he needs to be mindful of “compulsions” that led to sexually abusing boys in Ohio decades ago, during continued testimony Tuesday in Victoria Supreme Court. Jacobs, 63, under guidance of defence lawyer Chris Considine, refuted testimony of the three young men who told the court last week that the former parish priest engaged in episodes of molestation and sexual touching at the Saanich church more than a decade ago. One of the three complainants testified that Jacobs molested him in a room behind the altar. The witness said Jacobs molested him again while moving books between buildings on the St. Joseph the Worker grounds. Jacobs said he has no recollection the witness ever served as an altar server and denied ever touching or molesting him. “Never,” Jacobs told Justice Miriam Gropper. As for moving books, Jacobs recalled asking two students for help moving hymnal books between the priest’s residence and the church, but the witness was not one of the volunteers. Jacobs admitted he crossed the line with one complainant named in the charges, when he spoke with the student about the act of masturbation. In that case, Jacobs said, he slipped back into his compulsion to instruct young men on masturbation. “Part of me got into the pattern to be an instructor,” Jacobs said.
PLEASE SEE: Dinner open, Page A4
PLEASE SEE: Priest answers questions, Page A9
Next paper Christmas eve Due to the holiday season schedule, the News will publish on Monday, Dec. 24 and Friday, Dec. 28 next week. Our office at 818 Broughton St. will close at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 and reopen Dec. 27 at 8:30 a.m.
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