A former Brant man who gestured, stared and swore at the complainants in his child pornography sentencing hearing, was scolded by a judge in Brantford’s Ontario Court after causing several lawyers to stand and try to block his view of his one-time family.
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The man, who can’t be identified due to a publication ban, was told to “keep his mouth shut” by Justice Colette Good, who warned him again of his behavior when he returned to be sentenced to prison.
“This is a f___g joke,” the man muttered loudly.
“This is not a joke,” Good told the man.
“What you have done to this family has traumatized them.”
Over the course of 14 months, the man took secret photos and videos of his long-time partner and her two teenage children in the bathroom in their home and, when arrested, was discovered to have images and videos on several devices of young children subjected to a variety of sexual activity, including intercourse.
“He violated the victims’ safety and security in a place where people have the highest expectation of privacy,” said assistant Crown attorney Anthony Minelli.
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The local female teen victim told the court she’s confused and disgusted at the idea the man she treated as family had pictures of her bathing and shaving her legs.
“I’m scared to walk into a bathroom now without looking around to be sure there’s no camera.”
In court, Good saw the man gesturing and looking at the complainants “with a smirk”.
“You better not be communicating or doing anything where your attention is focused on those individuals,” she warned, suggesting the man’s lawyer should “have a discussion” with his client over a break.
Although the man accused guilty of making child pornography and possession of child pornography, he showed “zero remorse” said the judge.
And, while the man was on a release order from the Brantford matter, waiting for the case to proceed through the court system, he connected with another mother of young children and moved into her Norfolk home in February 2023, despite orders to avoid contact with minors.
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After just a few weeks of living with her, the man reached under the pajamas of her 11-year-old girl to melt her while her mother slept.
That mother told the Simcoe court the incident transformed her home, which had been the hub of lively gatherings with many visitors, into a sad quiet place where she and her children tend to sit alone in their own space.
“We’re all living in fear, fighting depression and anxiety and placing blame on ourselves,” said the mother.
“We’re all feeling guilty that we could have done something differently to keep (her) safe.”
In that case, assistant Crown attorney Rachel Eddy said the pre-sentence report written about the man wasn’t positive.
“There’s no iota of accountability or remorse. He indicates he still wishes to speak to (the mother) because he doesn’t believe the allegations.”
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Eddy told the judge the man “flagrantly breached” an order to stay away from children by moving into a home with multiple children and being alone with them many nights when their mother was working.
Justice Robert Gee told the man he had taken the joy out of the lives of his victims to the point where the young girl thought of suicide.
“All it took was one incident from you.”
Gee denied a lawyer’s request for a time-served sentence, despite an extensive explanation of some of the man’s health problems.
The man was convicted of sexual interference and failing to comply with release orders.
He was sentenced to three years less the time he had already served, calculated at 641 days.
Just weeks later in Brantford, Good added to that with another three-and-a-half year sentence to run consecutively.
“You’re a dangerous person to children,” she told the man, saying everyone should expect a bathroom is a private place where they won’t be observed.
“You’re clearly not sorry and you’ve been aggravating them on the two occasions you’ve been in court. That doesn’t bode well for (rehabilitation possibilities).”
The man was ordered not to contact his former Brant family or his new Norfolk connections while in prison and is under strict rules about being around minors or using the internet once released.
He’s now on the sexual offenders list for life.
@EXPSGamble
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