New Brunswick·New
Gilles Mallet of Saint-Simon appeared in Bathurst provincial court and pleaded guilty to arson months after the Saint-Simon church on the Acadian Peninsula burned to the ground.
Gilles Mallet, 69, pleads guilty to arson
Katelin Belliveau · CBC News
· Posted: Nov 03, 2026 10:09 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
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Saint-Simon Catholic Church was built more than a century ago in a community that is now part of the Municipality of Caraquet. It was destroyed by fire in August. (Submitted by Chantal Pitre)
A Saint-Simon man has pleaded guilty to arson after a fire in August that destroyed the wooden Catholic church built more than a century ago in the Acadian Peninsula community.
Gilles Mallet, who is 69 and has been in custody since the fire, appeared virtually in Bathurst provincial court Monday before Judge Éric P. Sonier.
The guilty plea came after a hearing to determine Mallet’s fitness to stand trial.
A publication ban prohibits the reporting of the details of the court proceedings in this case.
Mallet was arrested only hours after fire levelled the Saint-Simon church overnight on Aug.
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