'It wasn't me': Disgraced Catholic priest denies touching boy in 1970s

A former priest says hemolested teenage boys during his time with the church, but the latest round of criminal accusations against him are completely untrue.

The second trial of disgraced Catholic priest YvonArsenault continued inMonctonon Wednesday.

The 75-year-old is accused of indecent assault and gross indecency for incidents that are alleged to have taken place between 1970 and 1972 in Shediac.

• Man testifies he was abused up to 15 times by former priest in 1970s
• Former priest Yvon Arsenault handed 4-year sentence for 9 sex crimes

This is in addition to sexual crimes for which he has already been convicted and is serving time. In 2017, Arsenault was sentenced to four years in prison after headmittedto touching nine young boys in the 1970s.

Taking the stand in his own defence, Arsenaultsaid he was "profoundly hurt" by the latest accusation and "could not understand it at all."

If it happened to him, it wasn't me.- YvonArsenault, former priest

At the start of the trial Tuesday, the alleged victim claimed Arsenault molested him when he was 10 to 12 years old, at the formerBoys and Girls Club in Shediac.

He said the priest touched him sexually onmore than a dozen occasions, and one time had oral sex with him.

Arsenaulttestified he was a young assistant priest 27 years old when he began working at the Saint-Joseph Parish inShediac.

'I was guilty of some things'

He said he doesn'tremember the alleged victim, sincethere were close to 200 children at the church at that time.

When asked by his defence lawyer, Alison Menard, if he ever touched the man, Arsenault denied it.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I never did that to him or any other child there at the youth club."

\Arsenaulttold the court he pleaded guilty to nine criminal accusations already, and if he had done the deed, he would admit it.

"I pleaded guilty to accusations against me because I was guilty of some things, but I cannot plead guilty to what I have not done," he said.

"I don't remember having any incidents of a sexual nature in that house."

'I was playful'

Arsenaultadmitted hemolested teenage boys in places other than the Boys and Girls club but insisted they were always at least 13 years old.

When asked about an alleged incident in the bathroom of the club, where the victim claimed the priest tried to have oral sex with him, Arsenault said he did not understand the accusation.

"I have no memory of that," he said. "And I really made a big effort to try to understand if I forgot something, and no, I did not. I did not do that. That I'm absolutely convinced of.

"If it happened to him, it wasn't me.

"Something I can say about myself, is I was playful. I would tease young ones, it was easy for me to talk to them. But it was always in public."

Questions victim's motive

The defence spent the morning trying to poke holes in the victim's testimony, calling into question his memory of events and his motivation for bringing this to trial.

Menard brought up a civil lawsuit the man has filed against Yvon Arsenault and the church.

Arsenault showed little emotion in court.He was brought in by a sheriff and sat in the prisoner's box wearing a blue polo shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.

He brought the Book of Joshua with him and was taking notes throughout the hearing.