Sentence expected for disgraced former bishop
Posted Jan 4, 2012 05:22:36 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Ottawa judge will deliver the sentence today for disgraced former bishop Raymond Lahey.
The former head of the diocese in Antigonish faces a minimum sentence of one year in jail, but because of credit for time served, he could be released today.
Lahey pleaded guilty in May to a single count of importing child pornography and voluntarily went to jail to begin serving time.
At his sentencing hearing in December, Lahey’s lawyer argued he should be awarded two-for-one credit for the eight months he has already served behind bars.
Court Justice Kent Kirkland agreed.
Kirkland will deliver a sentence this morning that weighs both the nature of the images and the severity of the crime.
Lahey was arrested at the Ottawa airport in September 2009 after customs authorities found hundreds of pornographic photos of young boys on his laptop and a handheld device.
Some displayed images of children as young as eight and several followed church-related themes.
Lahey apologized for his actions during a sentencing hearing in December and told the court that being discovered was a “blessing in disguise.”
