Hubert O'Connor

Hubert Patrick O'Connor (17 February 1928 – 24 July 2007) was a Canadian Catholic bishop in British Columbia who was forced to resign his position following charges of multiple sex crimes stemming from his time as principal at the Saint Joseph's Mission Residential School in Williams Lake. At the time, he was the highest ranking Catholic official in the world to be charged with a sex crime.

O'Connor was tried twice. The first trial resulted in a stay of proceedings on constitutional grounds, but that decision was set aside on appeal and a new trial ordered by the Supreme Court of Canada. He was convicted at the second trial on some charges, but the convictions were set aside on appeal by the British Columbia Court of Appeal, which ordered a new trial. Before the new trial was held, O'Connor formally apologised to some of his victims in a First Nations healing circle. The victims said that they had received a sense of closure from the healing circle and the apology that they had not received from the criminal trial process. Based on their comments, the Crown prosecution service entered a stay of proceedings, to avoid revictimising them at another trial.

O'Connor died in 2007. After his death, a new allegation arose that O'Connor had sexually abused a young boy, now fully grown. Litigation over that issue is still pending.