'other victims out there' — lawsuit claims sex abuse by kingsville priest led to lifelong trauma
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this photo shows a silhouette of a crucifix and a stained glass window inside a catholic church.
gerald herbert
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ap
the priest called the little girl out of class to give her a prize — she allegedly returned to her desk facing a lifetime of anguish.
a windsor-area woman is suing the london diocese, alleging a kingsville priest sexually abused her more than four decades ago when she was six years old, and her lawyer thinks more victims are out there.
the woman, who passed a polygraph test ordered by her legal team last week, said she filed the civil suit after suffering silently for decades.
“i’m having anxiety episodes and depression episodes,” said jackie, 53, who is using a pseudonym.
“and everywhere in the media, you’re seeing sexual assault after sexual assault. i couldn’t hold it in anymore. i needed to find somebody to talk to, and i needed to have a way to get rid of these feelings, because they just kept coming back.”
she is seeking nearly $3 million in damages. none of the allegations have been proven in court.
the roman catholic diocese of london did not respond to a request for comment.
the diocese has faced numerous other lawsuits over priest sexual abuse going back decades, including many cases that previous church leaders covered up.
jackie, referred to as j.a.b.h. in court documents, claims she was assaulted by rev. l.c. “mike” langan in the rectory at st. john de brebeuf and companions. it allegedly happened during the 1979-1980 school year, when she was in grade 1 at st. john de brebeuf catholic school, next door to the church.
langan died on dec. 19, 2005. he also served at our lady of guadalupe in windsor, st. joseph’s parish in london, holy angels’ in st. thomas, immaculate conception in london, st. mary parish in tillsonburg, and st. ursula in chatham.
jackie is not using her real name under the advice of her london-based lawyer, rob talach, who said he doesn’t want other victims to worry about their names being publicized if they come forward.
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“we think there are other victims out there,” said talach. “but there’s also the potential there’s a former school administrator or retired detective or someone else that might have been part of that reporting that this will stand out to.”
according to the civil suit filed in late 2024 and jackie’s statements during the polygraph test, she was about six years old when the priest preyed on her.
jackie, who still lives in the windsor area, said she was called out of class to collect a prize at the rectory across the street.
she said the priest was waiting for her at the door, wearing some kind of robe or cloak.
“he was waiting and pretty quickly ushered me up the stairs behind him,” said jackie. “the one visual, it can wreck your day in an instant, is watching his naked ankles walk up the stairs in front of you. that, for some reason, is always in the back of my mind every time i’m walking up the stairs.”
she said langan put her on his lap and fondled her genitals over her skirt and underwear. jackie said she ended up laying on the bed, where the priest repeatedly said, “the holy spirit was going to come to me and that i was very special.”
she said she was told to close her eyes and lick a lollipop, which allegedly turned about to be the priest’s penis. jackie said he put it in her mouth and rubbed it across her face, before ejaculating on her face, mouth, and hair.
she said she returned to class, after being told that what had just happened was a secret, with some of it still in her hair. that did not go unnoticed by other students, she said.
“it was shortly after that i cut my ponytail because they’d been bullying me at school about whatever i had in my hair,” said jackie.
jackie said she was sent away that day with a prize — a picture of jesus christ, which she still has.
sometime later, she said she remembers sitting in the school staff room talking to two police officers, while her mother sobbed in the corner.
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talach said it’s unclear what happened with the police investigation, or even if one went ahead. but the priest remained in the kingsville parish for a few more years.
she said that single incident of abuse shaped the rest of her life, marked by emotional trauma and failed relationships.
“i learned very early on that the people that you’re supposed to trust, you can’t really,” she said.
“there was drinking involved a lot. i dropped out of high school early to escape things. i just had no will to do anything past that. there were many reckless years.”
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