Crown drops case against deacon

Crown attorneys in Kamloops, B.C., agreed in February to drop one count of sexual assault against Rev. Paul Walker, a deacon in the diocese of Toronto, in exchange for 50 hours of community service. Subsequently, Mr. Walker, whose ordination to the priesthood was held up for two years due to the charge, was ordained on May 8 at All Saints’ church in Whitby, Ont.”After having investigated the facts of the case and the outcome of the charge, we have concluded they do not constitute a permanent impediment to the exercise of ordained ministry,” said Archbishop Terence Finlay of Toronto.In March 2002, Mr. Walker asked that his ordination as a priest be delayed after the charge was filed against him in Kamloops. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who filed the charge, alleged that the assault took place in August 1997, when Mr. Walker, then a lay person, and the complainant, who was not identified, were camping near Kamloops.The plaintiff, who later identified himself as Trevor Henderson, said in a newspaper interview that Mr. Walker had made a sexual advance to him on the camping trip, was rebuffed and did not have further contact with him. Mr. Henderson was 19 at the time of the incident.