(MARSHALL JONES / iNFOnews.ca)
November 07, 2013 - 11:18 AM
KELOWNA - A 65-year-old Kelowna man was sentenced to two years in jail Wednesday afternoon for sexually assaulting three minors, including two members of his own family.
The man, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, was arrested in 2010 and later pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault on his niece, his nephew and a neighbour's 10-year-old son. The offences were committed over a 10-year-period in Coquitlam and Kelowna.
The first offence happened when the successful businessman was babysitting for a neighbour with his first wife at their home.
Although Judge Greg Koturbash gave the man credit for pleading guilty, he said he repeatedly chose to minimize his actions to psychologists and led people to believe he was not a threat. Koturbash also said that the crimes were “particularly repugnant” because he was a trusted neighbour and friend of the victims' families.
Crown lawyer Leah Fontaine recommended a sentence of 2.5 years in prison and three years’ probation, while defense lawyer Michael Bolton suggested less than two years plus probation.
Judge Koturbash said he saw only "discreet snapshots of remorse" and noted that the man repeatedly tried to blame others for what happened.
In addition to jail time and probation, the uncle has been ordered to have no contact with the victims or their families, to abstain from alcohol and drugs, to have no contact with anyone under the age of 16 and to stay away from parks, pools, daycare, community centres and playgrounds.
His name will also be placed on the sex offender registry.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 718-0428 or tweet @AdamProskiw.
-This story was corrected at 1:25 p.m. Nov. 7. The original headline misstated the length of sentence.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013