A retired Anglican priest who once served a First Nation congregation near London pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to sexually abusing a boy more than two decades ago.

David Norton, 72, who was also an award-winning university lecturer specializing in Indigenous history, entered a guilty plea in the Superior Court of Justice to one count of sexual interference of a boy under the age of 14 between January 1991 and December 1995.

No details were read into the record because, assistant Crown attorney Chris Heron told Justice Lynne Leitch, an agreement on the statement of facts still has to be ironed out between the Crown and the defence.

They will be read into the record on March 7, Norton’s next court appearance, when Leitch was told a pre-sentence report will be ordered. Sentencing will be held at a later date.

Norton is facing other charges involving other complainants. Those are to be heard in a five-day trial starting April 16.

Norton indicated to Leitch after pleading guilty that he was making the plea voluntarily.

Norton was first charged in November 2015 with three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault involving three Indigenous boys who were seven years old in 1977.

More charges were laid four months later.

He was the priest at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church at Chippewas of the Thames First Nation in 1977. He also worked in the Yukon.

He retired from full-time work as a priest in the Diocese of Huron in 2011, but did fill in for vacationing clerics. He was suspended after he was charged.

Norton had been a part-time history professor at King’s University College at Western University, starting in 2003 and won a part-time teaching award in 2013.

After he was charged, he was placed on leave.

jsims@postmedia.com