THUNDER BAY - Alexander (Sandy) Zaitzeff, a former prominent Thunder Bay lawyer has pleaded guilty to several charges.
In a Thunder Bay courtroom on Thursday, Zaitzeff appeared before Justice Joseph Wilson with attorney Scott Hutchinson, where he entered a plea of guilty to one count of invitation to sexual touching under 16, two counts of assault, and one count of possessing a firearm without a licence.
Ten other charges against Zaitzeff have been withdrawn, including six counts of sexual assault.
Zaitzeff was first charged on Nov. 21, 2016 with several sexual offences from incidents taking place in October of that year. Earlier this year, four counts of sexual assault were dropped after a witness failed to appear in court.
Crown attorney Marc Huneault presented information from the allegations to the court, which included evidence of Zaitzeff making obscene comments of a sexual nature while intoxicated to a minor. A publication ban is in place on details relating to the charges to protect the identity of the victims.
In his sentencing submission, Hutchinson asked that given Zaitzeff has already served 119 days in pre-trial custody and was subject to strict bail conditions, that he not serve any additional time behind bars and be subject to 12 months of probation.
According to Hutchinson, at the time the offences were committed, Zaitzeff was in a very dark place following the death of his wife several years earlier and the death of his son in 2014, as well as struggling with alcohol addiction.
"It's fair to say he became a different person when he drank," Hutchinson said. "It's important that you know that the individual presented in the facts is a product of a difficult time and circumstances that put Zaitzeff in a very vulnerable place."
Hutchinson also cited the negative impact the charges have had on Zaitzeff's personal and professional life.
During Huneault's submission, he agreed with Hutchinson that no further time in custody is required, but asked Justice Wilson to consider a probation period of between 18 and 24 months.
Huneault referenced victim impact statements submitted to the courts that explain how the offences have had a significant and lasting impact. And while he gives credit to Zaitzeff for pleading guilty to the charges and not forcing the victims to have to relive the experiences in court, he said a longer probationary period will provide the victims with more peace of mind knowing they are protected from further contact with Zaitzeff.
The conditions of probation, as requested by Huneault, could include Zaitzeff not having any contact with the victims either directly or indirectly, to not possess or consume alcohol or other intoxicants, and not reside in a residence where a female under the age of 18-years-old also resides.
Zaitzeff was given an opportunity to address the court on Thursday, at which time he expressed remorse for his actions.
"I am humiliated beyond belief," Zaitzeff said. "I have remorse. Everything that happened was grotesque to the extreme."
Justice Wilson is expected to return Thursday afternoon with his sentence.
