- Crown is seeking an 8 year prison sentence for 68 year old retired high school teacher convicted of physically and sexually assaulting his own children.
- He was convicted earlier this winter and a sentencing hearing will take place next month.
- His lawyers claim that the 33 months (2 years and 9 months) he has already spent in custody is more than enough of a penalty and that he should be released immediately from jail.
- His crimes took place in the late 1980's and early 1990's on two separate Manitoba native reserves but weren't revealed or known about, until one of his children went to the RCMP in 2002.
- The girl, who was 16 at the time, feared her father might have given her HIV but the tests came back negative.
- The man was found guilty by a Court of Queen's Bench Judge of sexually abusing the girl between 1989 and 1993 starting when she was only 3 years old!
- He was also convicted of repeatedly assaulting her and her brother in the same time period when the boy was only 5 years old.
- He would beat them and spank them frequently.
- The man has two other older boys who claimed they were never assaulted and actually supported their father at trial.
- But several former teachers, neighbours and child-welfare officials testified that all four children have displayed extreme "sexualized behaviour" throughout their lives, which included inappropriate incidents towards other children at school and in the community.
- This could be a result of the abuse they suffered from their early years.
- They list a number of disturbing incidents including graphic drawings, sexually explicit language, exposing their genitals in the classroom, masturbating in public, as well as frequently running around their home and yard naked.
- During the time that these incidents were happening, the father was employed as a teacher and had been since 1976.
- He had married the sister of one of his former students and they had 4 children together but the relationship was dysfunctional. The mother was "low functioning" and battled alcohol abuse which led to her often leaving the home for prolonged periods of time.
- Child and Family Services finally intervened in the early 1990s. The four children were ultimately removed from the home and placed in permanent foster care.
- The man repeatedly denied any knowledge of why his children were "acting out" and claiming that their was no inappropriate behaviour displayed in the home.
- He speculated "they must have learned these things from other kids... and from watching the dogs in the community," court was told.
- RCMP also began an investigation but it ended without charges. It wouldn't be reopened until the girl came forward in 2002 with her shocking claims.
- Charges were laid against the man in 2005 after a lengthy investigation.
- The man stood trial for the charges in 2008 but was adjourned on several ocassions and finally concluded in November 2009.
- The Judge said it was complex and difficult case.
- She noted how conflicted the man's children were to testify against him, with his now 23-year-old daughter often waving and smiling at her father in court while giving damning evidence against him.
- "She began her evidence by saying she 'came to tell the truth and get this over with so I can forgive my father,' " said Suche in her written verdict. She rejected the accused's testimony, saying he "lacked credibility" and appeared to have tried to influence his children to change their stories by writing them several letters since his arrest.
I understand that this man has already been in custody for almost 3 years but I feel that the appropriate sentence for him now, is another 3 years in custody, to demonstrate denunciation and retribution of this type of abuse on children. These children did not have the right to be subjected to such abuse. The father knew that his behaviour was wrong, yet continued to abuse his children for 4 consecutive years.
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