Two Whati men were sentenced this week in similar cases of sexual assault involving a minor.
One man, sentenced Tuesday, is facing two years in prison for a major sexual assault.
The other, sentenced Wednesday, will serve two months as he and the victim were interrupted before the assault occurred.
In TuesdaySA国际影视传媒檚 sentencing, the court heard that in September 2018, the offender, a man in his early 20s, called the teenage victim and invited her to hang out at his residence in Whati. She came over and the two then went to another house to smoke cannabis.
The man said SA国际影视传媒渕y girlfriend wonSA国际影视传媒檛 find out,SA国际影视传媒� locked the door, and told the girl to take her clothes off, the court heard.
In the agreed upon statement of facts, Crown prosecutor Trevor Johnson told the court that the victim did not consent to have sex with him and that she SA国际影视传媒渟aid nothing because she was scared.SA国际影视传媒�
In his statement to upon arrest, the man told police that he had believed the girl to be even younger than she was.
This, Johnson said, increases the offenders SA国际影视传媒渕oral blameworthinessSA国际影视传媒� since he thought he was assaulting a 12 or 13 year old, even though that was not the case.
Justice Karan Shaner accepted the joint sentencing submission of two years less a day. The manSA国际影视传媒檚 sentence will be followed by 12 months on probation where he will be prohibited from contacting the victim or going to her residence or place of work.
The court heard that the offender was raised by adoptive parents in a SA国际影视传媒渓oving and structural upbringing,SA国际影视传媒� defence counselor Baljindar Rattan said.
The offender learned of his adoption as a teenager, which sent him into a depression. He began experimenting with alcohol and marijuana soon after, Rattan said.
The man has a high school diploma and hopes to continue his education in the trades once released from custody.
Addressing the court, the man said that he takes SA国际影视传媒渇ull responsibilitySA国际影视传媒� for his actions.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 sorry,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 hard sometimes.SA国际影视传媒�
With his 22 day credit from time served, the offender faces a remaining 23 months.
Wednesday's sentencing
In WednesdaySA国际影视传媒檚 sentencing, the offender, in his late 20s, went to the victims house to sell her cannabis. At the time of the offence she was 14 years old.
When the man told her the cost of the drugs she said she didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have any money and began to unzip his pants. In the agreed upon statement of facts read by the Crown, the man understood the girl was offering sexual favours in exchange for cannabis. He did not stop her.
Before the events went any further, however, the girlSA国际影视传媒檚 mother came home.
In a victim impact statement Johnson read to the court, the girl said that she is SA国际影视传媒渘ot the same person because of the incident.SA国际影视传媒�
She said that she has lost her familySA国际影视传媒檚 trust and that she no longer feels safe in the community.
SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of people in the community talk about what happened,SA国际影视传媒� she wrote in the statement. SA国际影视传媒淭his made me upset to the point that I want to kill myself.SA国际影视传媒�
The man will serve 60 days in prison, less 10 days for time served leaving him with 50 days remaining. He will then be on an 18 month probation where he is barred from contact with the victim.
In both cases Johnson submits that a young girl in a remote community, alone in a home with a much older man makes them vulnerable and that denunciation and deterrence are key considerations for sentencing.
In both cases a DNA order and Sexual Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) order were put in place to add their information to the sex offender registry.
