KENTVILLE, N.S. - Prominent Toronto pastor Brent Hawkes pleaded not guilty Monday to decades-old sex-crime allegations in Nova Scotia, where supporters gathered outside a Kentville courtroom to denounce the charges as outdated and unfair.
Hawkes, 65, is accused of indecent assault on a male and gross indecency related to allegations of a sexual assault against a minor in 1974 and 1975.
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Hawkes, a well-known gay rights advocate who officiated at former NDP leader Jack Layton's state funeral in 2014, has maintained his innocence and says he will fight the accusations.
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Hawkes, originally from Bath, N.B., has been the senior pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for 38 years. Considered one of the spiritual leaders of Toronto's gay community, he is also known as a vocal proponent of same-sex marriage, and in 2007 was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Toronto pastor pleads not guilty to sex-crime allegations | Toronto & GTA | News
Hawkes, 65, is accused of indecent assault on a male and gross indecency related to allegations of a sexual assault against a minor in 1974 and 1975.
[...]
Hawkes, a well-known gay rights advocate who officiated at former NDP leader Jack Layton's state funeral in 2014, has maintained his innocence and says he will fight the accusations.
[...]
Hawkes, originally from Bath, N.B., has been the senior pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for 38 years. Considered one of the spiritual leaders of Toronto's gay community, he is also known as a vocal proponent of same-sex marriage, and in 2007 was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Toronto pastor pleads not guilty to sex-crime allegations | Toronto & GTA | News
