Just two weeks shy of his 80th birthday, a Manitoba man has been sentenced to three years in prison after admitting he had sexually molested his four young daughters five decades ago.
He pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault for repeated acts of masturbation and sexual touching involving his four daughters over an eight-year span, beginning in 1972.
As two of his victims watched from the court gallery, the slight, stooped man offered a simple two-word apology before being sent into custody by provincial court Judge Brent Stewart.
“My comments for you sir have to be kept to myself, because I am disgusted by somebody like you,” Stewart said.
“You are almost 80 years of age, and by gosh you should be hanging your head,” he said. “You’re going to (prison) for three years and those three years aren’t going to be easy for you, especially after having a conviction such as this.”
The man’s name cannot be published because it would identify his victims.
Indecent assault was the applicable offence at the time of the man’s crimes, but it no longer exists in the Criminal Code. The maximum sentence for the offence at the time was five years in prison.
“The offence was actually punishable by whipping, as well,” defence lawyer Saheel Zaman told court. “That tells you how the law has progressed from where it used to be.”
The three-year sentence was jointly recommended by Zaman and Crown attorney James Wood in a plea bargain that took into account the frailty of the victims’ memories and the accused man’s desire to spare the women from testifying, court was told.
“This is a low sentence, that is recognized,” Wood said.
Had the man been convicted under the law in effect today, he would be facing a sentence of eight to 10 years, Stewart said.
“I can talk about eight or 10 years, but it’s not as of now that he is being sentenced,” he said. “He is sentenced as a result of events that occurred a long time ago and were subject to the laws at the time these offences occurred.”
The crimes came to light four years ago when his daughters reported him to police.
The man’s now 56-year-old daughter told court the abuse she suffered robbed her of her voice and her value as a person.
“By the time I was 10, I didn’t think I would be living by the time I was 16 years of age,” she said. “I’ve grown to know my value and feel all of us have built great resilience.”
Stewart applauded the women’s bravery by reporting the abuse.
“Good for you for standing up and showing this is not going to put you out of commission,” Stewart said. “I can only take my hat off for the bravery of the victims.”
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
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