THUNDER BAY - An Oliver Paipoonge man convicted of sexual assault and sexual interference will be sentenced later this spring.
The 67-year-old man, who cannot be named under a publication ban to protect the identity of the complainant as ordered by Justice Bonnie Warkentin, appeared in a Thunder Bay Courtroom on Monday for a sentencing hearing.
Defense counsel, Neil McCartney, is calling for a sentence of five years, while Crown attorney, Tiffany Boisvert asked for nine years in custody.
Justice Warkentin found the accused guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference last September following a three-day trial held in June 2019.
During the trial, the court heard from two defense witnesses and three Crown witnesses, including the complainant who detailed five separate incidents during which the sexual assaults took place between October 2008 and December 2014.
The complainant at the time was between the ages of seven-years-old and 13-years-old.
In McCartney’s submission, 51 letters of support from family and friends of the accused were submitted to the court. He also pointed to the accused having no criminal record prior to his conviction as a mitigating factor and asked the court for a sentence of five years.
Boisvert said there are several aggravating factors that were taken into consideration when calling for a nine-year sentence.
The age of the complainant at the time when the sexual assaults first began only being seven-years-old is a significant aggravating factor, Boisvert said.
The accused also denied any responsibility and Boisvert referred to a pre-sentence report, in which he continues to deny his guilt.
The court also heard four victim impact statements where family members of the complainant shared how everyone has been impacted by these crimes.
“The impact and trauma from this abuse is something that will never go away,” one family member stated.
The complainant also read a victim impact statement aloud to the court detailing the trauma the incidents have caused, including nightmares, anxiety, and depression.
“I feel like I didn’t have a proper childhood,” the complainant said.
Warkentin will return with her sentence on April 2, 2020.
