10 year jail sentence for Nanaimo man’s sexual abuse & online exploitation of his daughter

He was jailed for a decade after a joint submission was accepted by a provincial court judge in Nanaimo on Wednesday, June 21.

The man admitted during a 2021 undercover police operation to taking videos and photos of himself sexually assaulting the girl years earlier and sharing the material online.

He unknowingly chatted with and sent several child porn videos to a Peel Regional Police officer in Ontario working undercover through a website used by people discussing and sharing child porn.

“He described to the undercover officer that he’s attracted to girls in that age range of four to seven years old,” the Crown’s Leanne Mascolo told the court while reading the agreed statement of facts into the record.

Peel Regional Police obtained an IP address, who then requested Nanaimo RCMP to advance the investigation as the offender and his family since moved to the area.

A July 6, 2021 police raid was conducted at the offender’s Nanaimo home where he lived with his then wife and children.

A tablet was seized during the search, revealing 15 images of child porn, including young kids being graphically abused.

The girl, for the first time, then divulged the abuse she faced during a statement to Nanaimo RCMP. She said the repeated assaults included penetration.

“She was very fearful of this coming to light…she was frightened that something might happen to her mom,” Mascolo said.

The girl was also told by the offender not to tell anybody because he could go to jail.

“At the time this was happening she didn’t know why, or what was happening or how long it was,” Mascolo said.

During a powerful impact statement, Mascolo read out a letter on behalf of the now 13-year-old victim, who was present in court.

“This event has caused tons of emotional distress, including mental illness, possible learning disability and has affected my relationship with others, my family and friends. It has also altered my perception of love and trust, I commonly stay in toxic friendships, while putting myself in dangerous situations.”

Multiple mental health struggles and a fear of men are among numerous negative repercussions the girl continues dealing with as a result of the abuse.

She recently authored a poem titled ‘Those Nights,’ which was submitted to the court.

you’ll never know the pain I felt
taking something so valuable from me with no regrets
we wish each day to be untouched by you
scrubbing everywhere, but still I feel your hands on me
a hug, handshake, tap, a touch — all brings me back to you and those nights.
the fear I experienced when you took off my princess PJ’s, telling me I was ready for this
I wasn’t
I was just a kid.

An impact statement from the victim’s mother explained the devastating effects caused by her now ex-husband’s behaviour.

“This abuse has affected her life in every way possible. She struggles with anxiety, depression and self harms to prevent herself from committing suicide.”

The mother said her daughter was re-traumatized by the police raid and making a formal statement to the RCMP.

Sitting just a few feet away from the victim and her family, the offender sat in the prisoner’s box with his head leaning forward toward his lap for most of the hearing.

Defence lawyer Stephen Littley said his client takes full responsibility for his actions.

He said the offender, with no prior criminal record, is educated and was a businessman who quietly suffered from depression as he aged.

“At least his early adult life it’s fairly unremarkable with respect to mental illness or stability; not the types of things we often see in this type of sentencing situation.”

Littley said his client first consumed legal porn, followed by illegal child porn, then ultimately abused his daughter.

He said his client immediately took responsibility, indicating early on he would plead guilty and not have the matter proceed to trial.

Court was told the offender did not take a court-ordered psychiatric assessment due to his personal circumstances. He also did not participate in any counseling specific to sex offenders prior to being sentenced.

He was homeless on the streets of Nanaimo since last summer and fell into drug addiction, which Littley said is why he’s been in custody since April after an arrest warrant was issued in January.

Despite Littley indicating his client’s remorse, the offender had nothing substantive to say when given the opportunity by the judge.

“No, there’s nothing that I’d like to say at this time,” he said softly.

Veteran provincial court judge Ted Gouge said this case tops the list of the many horrifying human actions he’s heard.

“This is the most disturbing, most troublesome, most serious set of allegations I’ve ever heard,” judge Gouge said.

The offender will appear on the National Sex Offender Registry for life.

He was credited with 90 days of time already served behind bars.

Numerous lifetime restrictive orders established for sex offenders who victimize minors are in place, including no contact orders with his immediate family.

He won’t be able to have any form of contact with people under the age of 16 for life, while his internet usage will be restricted post release. He was also ordered to provide a DNA sample.

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On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

10 year jail sentence for Nanaimo man’s sexual abuse & online exploitation of his daughter

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