IQALUIT, Nunavut — A Nunavut court says public money should pay for a lawyer to argue the appeal of a former priest serving a 19-year sentence for sexually abusing dozens of Inuit children.
Eric Dejaeger has been trying to appeal his sentence and conviction since the verdict against him in 2015.
Dejaeger says he's too broke to pay for a lawyer and Legal Aid in Nunavut has turned him down.
The Nunavut Court of Appeal said this week that Dejaeger is not capable of arguing his own case and his representative should be publicly funded.
Court documents say Dejaeger has not entered any specific arguments as to why he feels he deserves a new trial.
Dejaeger was convicted after an emotional trial concerning abuse that occurred in the Nunavut community of Igloolik more than 35 years ago.
The Canadian Press