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Priest arrested for sex crimes

An Anglican priest has been arrested in Coquitlam in connection to a number of sexual assaults in Edmonton in the 1980s.

Father Gordon William Dominey, 63, allegedly sexually assaulted five youth while he worked at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre from 1985 to 1989.

Edmonton police began investigating reports of the assaults in September 2015.

Edmonton RCMP, with the help of the Coquitlam RCMP, arrested Dominey without incident Thursday.

He is facing five charges of sexual assault and five charges of gross indecency.

Dominey has been working at St. Catherine’s Capilano, an Anglican church in North Vancouver, as a interim priest since September 2015.

In a Sept. 7 post on their website, St. Catherine’s said Dominey “comes to us with a vast experience in interim ministry” and “will be a very good fit for St. Catherine’s.

“We warmly welcome Gordon to our Parish family.”

Dominey has been placed on administrative leave from St. Catherine’s since the arrest.

He has also worked at several other churches in the Diocese of New Westminster area in the past.

The Right Reverend Melissa Skelton posted on the Diocese of New Westminster’s website Saturday, stating she will be offering “pastoral care and support” to Dominey.

“This support will continue as the legal process unfolds,” Skelton wrote. “He is entitled to a presumption of innocence and I ask for your prayers for Gordon, for all those who are involved in this legal process and for those bringing forth the allegations against him.”

Edmonton police have asked anyone with additional information regarding “Father Gord” to contact them at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

- With files from CTV News



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