VANCOUVER
– Bill Surkis, one of the most prominent figures in Montreal's Jewish
community was convicted of possession of child pornography. As agreed in
a plea bargain, Surkis will serve 45 days in prison on weekends.
Appearing in court on Saturday, Surkis expressed regret for hurting
his family, friends and Jewish community. "I destroyed my life and parts
of my family's life," he said.
His attorneys filed a series of letters of support and character
testimony reports from members of the Jewish community with the court.
Former minister Gerry Weiner also wrote a letter of support which
stressed Surkis's efforts for the community and the issue of civil
rights.
Surkis, 71, previously served as director of B'nai Brith in
Quebec and director of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. He also
spent 47 years working in the Canadian education system.
In 2008, Surkis was caught in possession of 21 videos of a sexual
nature featuring adult men and prepubescent girls. The materials were
discovered by a lab technician who worked on fixing Surkis's computer.
He was arrested and released under restrictions.
Last May, Surkis's attorney finalized a plea bargain with the
prosecution forcing him to confess to possession of child pornography.
It was decided that he spend 45 days in prison and do 240 hours of
community service. He will also be under inspection for three years.
It has yet to be decided whether Surkis will be added to the sex
offenders list and be prohibited from visiting public places frequented
by children after he completes his prison sentence. A decision on the
matter will be reached on December 9.
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