Abuser of young child feels to prison

A man with a childhood history of inappropriate sexual behavior pleaded guilty in court to abusing a family member and readily admitted to police he had touched other young girls.

The Brantford man, who can’t be named as he would identify his victim, was recently sent to prison by Ontario Court judge Colette Good, who accepted the man’s deep remorse but called him “dangerous to children”.

“You manipulated this child into thinking this was her fault and her responsibility when you were 100 percent to blame,” the judge told the 29-year-old man.

“You abused children for many, many years. These orders will keep you away from kids for a very long time because you simply cannot be trusted around them. They’re nothing more than objects for your sexual gratification.”

Good recounted that the man began sexual activity with other children at the age of six and, due to a lack of appropriate supervision, continued that activity through his childhood, seeing it as normal.

When he was 18, he began molesting one particular girl who was four-years-old, and this abuse continued until she was ten.

“It was repeated sexual assault over six or seven years in her home where she should have felt the safest,” said the judge, noting the man didn’t penetrate the girl but rubbed his genitals on her genitals, sometimes making it seem like a game.

When the teen came forward and told police what had happened when she was a child, the man admitted abusing three other young girls who were four, 12 and 15.

Once arrested, police found the man had what’s known as a ‘lolicon’ — a set of cartoon images that depict child pornography and, in this case, violence.

The man pleaded guilty to sexual interference and possession of child pornography.

“I’m not seeking forgiveness because I really don’t deserve that,” he told the judge, saying he wanted to serve his prison term and make himself a better person.

Good noted the man, who tried to kill himself during a brief stay in jail after his arrest, had sought psychiatric counseling about his sexual behavior and was quick to spare his victim from having to endure a trial.

“Most people sitting where you are now don’t plead guilty. They have trials and make the child victims get up and talk about their abuse in front of a court. Oftentimes, convictions don’t follow because child victims tend to forget as time goes on and get confused.”

But, added the judge, the abuse scarred the young woman who tried to end her life and spent time in a psychiatric ward.

“She’s still broken, scarred and traumatized. She wonders why she didn’t tell anyone sooner and hates herself on a daily basis because of what you did to her.”

The judge accepted the joint submission crafted by the Crown and defense lawyers for a global term of four years in prison, plus another year for his possession of the ‘lolicon’ since “these types of materials cause people to think such behavior is acceptable toward children .”

Good added a ten-year order that the man will not be able to work or visit any place where children under 16 might be unless with an adult who knows about his conviction and won’t be allowed to have a phone with internet access.

He’ll be on the sexual offenders registry for 20 years.

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