A Saskatoon priest who kissed a girl on the lips without her permission collapsed in court Wednesday after being found guilty of sexual assault.
Janko Kolosnjaji was accused of kissing a 13-year-old girl on the lips in 2023 while she and her family were cleaning at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The priest claimed at the time he intended the kiss to be on the forehead.
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He had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During the girl’s testimony, she said the priest hugged her for about 15 to 20 seconds before grabbing her chin, raising her head and kissing her on the lips.
She also claimed he complimented her afterwards, saying she had very beautiful eyes.
Shortly after hearing the verdict, Kolosnjaji could be seen having a medical episode, and people were asked to leave the courtroom. About 30 minutes later, Kolosnjaji was taken out of the courtroom and court proceedings resumed.
Kolosnjaji’s lawyer told Global News their client is still in the hospital after he fell unconscious in the courtroom after the verdict.
His sentencing is set for June.
Kolosnjaji’s lawyer expects to argue that a mandatory minimum sentence of six months would be cruel and unusual due to the priest’s age and the fact that he didn’t seek sexual gratification from the action.
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