BC Supreme Court Justice Brad Smith said noted Sebastian Bradshaw, 30, continued "extremely concerning conduct" while in custody ahead of his sentencing.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Sebastian Bradshaw

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Sebastian Bradshaw saw himself as a "monster" as a raped an 18-year-old North Okanagan woman in the back of his truck two years ago.

That's what he told a court-ordered psychologist who assessed him as high risk to reoffend after what's now his fourth conviction for a sexual offence.

He has a pattern of using the fake name "Dean" to target young women, a tactic he admitted in court was an effort to hide the fact he is a convicted sex offender.

Sebastian William Bradshaw, 30, was sentenced to combined jail sentence of five-and-a-half years for two of those convictions Monday, Feb. 24. The two sexual assaults took place months apart in different cities with different victims.

The second, a more serious charge of sexual assault with a weapon, happened while he was on bail for the first assault.

After a trial for one charge and a guilty plea for the other, he expressed remorse for his crimes to the court and to the psychologist who assessed him.

"I pray for the victims when I can," Bradshaw said during a psychological assessment.

Lawyers proposed their five-and-a-half year sentence to BC Supreme Court Justice more than six months after his convictions.

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Before giving his decision, BC Supreme Court Justice Brad Smith gave a warning for Bradshaw.

"Expressions of remorse are hollow unless they're followed up with action," Smith said.

'Concerning' conduct in jail

The justice reiterated the statement later as he questioned Bradshaw's lawyer, Matt Ford, about "extremely concerning" behaviour during his time in custody at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre.

There were multiple incidents Smith cited of Bradshaw's behaviour in custody that led to concerns of whether or not he was changing his ways.

While in custody, Bradshaw was caught with photos of "underage girls in bikinis" that were mailed to him by a former inmate. Bradshaw told a corrections officer they were of his own daughter, but the photos showed "various young girls appearing to be aged seven to 14," Smith said.

"Most recently, Mr. Bradshaw had gathered information regarding the first and last names of (Kamloops jail) staff, as well as there phone numbers, in addition to a list of offenders with sexually-motivated convictions," Smith said. "When confronted, Mr. Bradshaw advised he was put up to it by other inmates."

It's not clear why he compiled the list.

He was temporarily kicked out of an education program when he was caught drawing a picture of a woman, which was believed to be one of the other students.

The cultural liaison for Indigenous inmates and programming had also cut off contact with Bradshaw due to his conduct, Smith said. That connection has since resumed, Bradshaw's lawyer said.

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Bradshaw also gave his own Facebook account log-in to a jail contractor for one of its counselling programs. He asked the person to print off a photo of him with two young girls and bring it back to the jail. It's not clear whether it was the Indigenous liaison to whom Bradshaw made the request.

"Look, I'm not going to sugar coat that," his lawyer said. "And what I would say to the court is the following: Mr. Bradshaw has indicated that he takes responsibility for not one but both of the offences before the court... and he acknowledges he would benefit from sexual offender treatment and that he has been unable to access that so far."

Treatment options, like those for sex offenders, are generally more accessible at federal penitentiaries as opposed to provincial jails. With a jail sentence that reaches the federal threshold of two years or more, Bradshaw will be more likely to take up those programs.

While in custody, Bradshaw was also the victim of at least one assault. He has "not had an easy go of it" at the Kamloops correctional centre and he was "separately confined" for his protection, his lawyer said. It's not clear when that was or how long it persisted.

Ford also said, without going into details, Bradshaw was a victim of abuse while growing up. Bradshaw also abused at least one child more than eight years ago and in 2018 was convicted of two counts of sexual interference of a person under 16.

Bradshaw himself told one of his victims about his experience being sexually abused.

A flare gun to the head and 'psychological manipulation'

On July 9, 2024, Bradshaw pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon.

It was the second conviction, following a trial that led to his conviction just a day earlier. Ford noted the guilty plea had been planned in advance and wasn't a last-minute response to the trial.

The trial and the first of the two charges came after he removed a condom without the consent of his partner, a foreign university student from India.

Bradshaw was charged December 2022 and was later released on bail. Three months later, though still living in Kamloops with his girlfriend, he raped a woman in the North Okanagan.

The pair had just recently met, connected by mutual friends. He drove her to Hidden Lake near Enderby, where he started express his depression over past abuse, deaths in his family and his offences going "viral," Crown prosecutor Katie Bouchard said.

While she told him she copes through art, he forced her to take off her clothes to show he could "trust" her. He did the same.

It didn't escalate until after after they had put their clothes back on.

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He revealed a gun and put it to his own head, threatening to kill himself if she didn't take her clothes off again. It was "prolonged," possibly up to 45 minutes, and she told him to stop multiple times throughout, Smith said.

"If you're abused, you can become hypersexual. I understand your pain and the pain you're going through, but this isn't going to make you happy," the victim said as he raped her, the court heard.

When he was done, he told her she was "no fun" and they put their clothes back on.

They drove back together and Bradshaw kept hold of the gun, which was later found to be a flare gun. Bouchard, however, said police never recovered it.

The victim recorded Bradshaw on his own phone as they drove back and took it with her. It was on that phone where she discovered his real name is "Sebastian" and not "Dean." On the way, he talked about dropping her off with RCMP, while suggested he would attempt "suicide by police." The victim remained calm for the drive, though she was afraid the entire trip, Bouchard said.

She went to her boyfriend's house, then took a taxi to the hospital where staff collected evidence with a rape kit.

"Bradshaw took advantage of (her) kindness and compassion, and he used psychological manipulation to get her to submit to him," Bouchard said. "Despite her protest and expressions of non-consent, he continued to use her for his own sexual purposes."

The victim told Bouchard she "still cannot have sex without crying." Her own family blamed her for putting herself in the situation where she was raped and she lost friends in the process.

She did add, however, she's doing "much better now," according to Bouchard.

Bradshaw was charged just months later and turned himself in.

The earlier Kamloops victim was sexually assaulted in May 2022 when Bradshaw went to her house under the same fake name, "Dean."

They drank together then and as they were beginning to have sex, he removed his condom. Though she refused, he pinned her down and continued.

"I felt like my whole life was changed, and I can't go back," she told the court through a statement to the court.

She attempted suicide three times, was admitted to the psychiatric ward at least once, had to move and briefly returned to India for emotional support from her family in the wake of Bradshaw's assault.

Both victims' names are protected through a publication ban. Neither were present for Bradshaw's hearing, but Bouchard said they both asked for updates on his sentence.

"Your actions were both criminal and shameful. You violated the sexual integrity and physical integrity of two women who trusted you enough to be alone with you," Justice Smith said.

The judge accepted the sentence as submitted by both the Crown and defence.

Bradshaw has been in custody since early 2023. His time served, which equals 1.5 days credit for every day behind bars before conviction, leaves him with roughly two years, eight months to go in jail.

Upon his release, Bradshaw will be banned from owning firearms and registered as a sex offender for life.

His psychological assessment found he's highly likely to reoffend, especially when stressed or feels "ostracized." He "pays no regard for wishes or willingness of his targets" when he pursues a victim, the psychologist found.

"You acted as you did out of your own selfish desire for sexual gratification," Smith said. "But actions have consequences, and because of you're actions you're going to a federal penitentiary."

Bradshaw apologized for his crimes through tears.

"Words can never express how sorry I am," he said. "I will make every effort to make sure this never happens to anyone again."

NOTE TO READERS: If you find yourself in need of support please contact one of these organizations. Help is available 24 hours a day at each of these phone numbers:

• VictimLinkBC: 1-800-563-0808
• Vancouver Rape Relief crisis line: 604-872-8212
• Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre crisis line: 1-888-974-7278

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