Man, 48, accused of abusing teenage stepdaughter

Man, 48, accused of abusing teenaged stepdaughter

Winnipeg police have seized videotapes and explicit emails they say show a 48-year-old man sexually abusing his teenaged stepdaughter and secretly recording her on camera.

The accused -- who can't be named to protect the identity of the 16-year-old girl -- was recently arrested on charges of voyeurism, making child pornography and sexual assault. None of the allegations have been proved and he is presumed innocent.

Police began investigating in January after the teen told her mother she woke up in their West End home to find her stepfather molesting her.

The woman also discovered numerous email messages her husband of five years had allegedly been sending to her daughter for the past several months.

She went to court and obtained a restraining order against the man, filing copies of the emails with the courts. She also filed for divorce.

In the emails, the man is accused of offering his stepdaughter cash, electronics and even allowing her to skip school and keep it a secret. But he indicates there will be a price.

"You know that your mom will be mad at you skipping school and you keep asking me to do things for you, I don't ask anything in return but this time I think that you owe me for doing this for you!

"If you agree to my terms I will continue to keep your secrets. My term is this you will agree to do what I ask of you with no questions," he allegedly wrote in an April 2009 email.

In May 2009, the girl received an email stating: "I want that we can spend some quality time together and I would like to see you the way your mom does."

Further emails included invitations for the girl to spend time with him in exchange for money, an iPod and a cellular phone.

"Would you like me to give you $300 tomorrow? All you have to do is one simple thing and I will give you the money in cash. All you have to do is come into the room. Let me know you got this email and say yes," reads an August 2009 email.

Police arrested the man in March 2010 and initially charged him with sexual assault and sexual interference. He was released on a promise to appear in court with conditions not to have any contact with the girl or his estranged wife.

The investigation remained open and took another turn when police recently discovered a series of videotapes which contain nude images of the girl. She apparently had no idea they had been taken. Police say the recordings were made between September 2007 and December 2009, beginning when the girl was just 13. There are no allegations they had been sold or distributed.

Police rearrested the man earlier this week on the additional charges of child pornography and voyeurism. He has been detained in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. The investigation is ongoing.

These are pretty serious charges but I do not feel that this man should be held in custody, causing further overcrowding in the remand facility, which has adverse effects on all inmates. Only the most dangerous individuals who pose a high risk to the public safety should be detained, but the majority, should be granted bail. I do not believe this man poses a great danger to society or the public, and therefore, should not be held in custody. He should have been released on bail in the community with strict conditions. 

Using the internet to ure underage co-workers gets Calgary man 5 year prison sentence

Using the internet to lure underage co-workers gets Calgary man 5 year prison sentence

CALGARY - A city man who used fake identities on the Internet to get three underage female co-workers to send him sexually-

explicit pictures of themselves has been sent to prison for five years.

Provincial court Judge Catherine Skene agreed on Monday to the sentence for Robert Ogle, 25, after listening to a joint submission by Crown prosecutor Nadine Nesbitt and defence lawyer Lisa Burgis.

"Here, Mr. Ogle used the Internet to groom young girls," Nesbitt told the judge. "He used different online personnas to

convince the girls that it was good for them.

"With the Internet, kids chat online and it's too easy for adults to manipulated and groom these girls. In this case there was a

fair amount of manipulation."

Ogle had previously pleaded guilty to five charges, two of them for luring the three girls under 16 who worked with him at Sobeys grocery store, for sexual gratification and making child pornography.

The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2009, court heard.

One of the girls cried as she read her victim impact statement, saying she was scared to walk down the streets and was angry for a long time after the incidents with Ogle.

Her mother told court she was in shock when she found out about her daughter's "loss of innocence" at the hands of a perpetrator.

Aside from the two luring offences, Ogle also pleaded guilty to sexual interference, making and possessing child pornography.

Police found more than 72 naked images of one of the girls and 57 of another on his digital camera and computer.

Police found more than 1,100 child pornography images from the Internet had also been viewed on his computer.

Ogle, who was not diagnosed as a pedophile, apologized to the victims and said "I regret what I did and wish I could go back."

He said he plans to be rehabilitated and put it all behind him.

Ogle must be registered as a sex offender for 20 years, not attend any swimming pool, school ground, community centre or other place where children under 16 would likely be present, and must provide a DNA sample.

I think that this sentence is appropriate. Sex offenders are the most dangerous type of offenders and not very many of them are able to benefit from rehabilitation programs. This man is remorseful but he is a risk to other girls which is why I agree with the 5 years.

Edmonton man who made child pornography of daughters, friends and relatives, sentenced to 11 years prison

Man who made child porn of daughters, friends sentenced to 11 years prison

- An Edmonton judge has reluctantly agreed to an 11-year prison term for a city man who videotaped his sexual abuse of six children, including his own two daughters.

- Provincial court Judge Terry Matchett had adjourned the 37-year-old man’s sentencing last week after saying he was concerned the proposed 11-year joint submission by Crown and defence was too low for the horrific crimes.

- However, he agreed to the sentence on Tuesday, saying he “cannot conclude it is either unfit or unreasonable.”

- Matchett had earlier said he felt the proposed sentence was inadequate due to the the fact there were multiple victims and a “staggering” amount of child porn involved.

- But Tuesday, the judge accepted the submissions that the guilty pleas both showed remorse and spared the victims from “reliving the nightmares” by having to testify.

- Matchett also accepted that there were “evidentiary” problems with the case.

- The man, who cannot be named under a court-ordered publication ban protecting the identity of his daughters, was given 40 months credit for pre-trial custody time, leaving him with seven years and eight months to serve.

- He was also placed on the national sex offender registry for 20 years and banned from going to places where children are likely to be, for 20 years as well.

- The man earlier pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexual assault, sexual interference, incest and the possession and making of child pornography.

- According to agreed facts, the man was busted in June 2008 after a tip led police to raid a north-side home where he was living with his girlfriend and their daughter.

- Police seized several computers and eventually found 14,000 child porn images, some made by the accused, and 98 child porn movies, of which he had made 26 of them with his six child victims, including his two daughters.

- Matchett said the “enormous” child porn collection was filled with “disturbing” images taken by deviant predators that would shock ordinary people “to their core.”

- Court heard the remaining victims are a sister of his girlfriend, a cousin of one of his daughters and two friends of the other daughter and all but one of them were asleep when the child porn videos were made.

- One daughter, now 14, told police her father had been sexually abusing her for five to six years. She also said her dad would encourage her to invite friends for sleepovers, but she wouldn’t so nothing would happen to them.

- The man’s other daughter was about three years old when she was sexually abused on video, while the other victims ranged in age from seven to 15 years old.

- According to the agreed facts, one of the victims, who was a friend of the accused’s older daughter, had complained to police about being sexually assaulted by the man in 2004, however some inconsistencies and other concerns resulted in police not proceeding then with charges.

- That same victim also told police she had felt weird when she had woken up the morning after the assault and had difficulty moving her legs, which she described as numb.

- Another victim, who was also assaulted during a sleepover at the accused’s home, told police they were not allowed to have pop, but said the accused would only let them have a glass of milk which he provided to them.

- Matchett said it was aggravating that the sex offender had abused his position of trust with some of the victims, especially his own daughters, and harshly criticized him for abusing them for his sexual gratification, rather than protecting them and giving them a good, loving home.

- The judge also cited some of the victim impact statements filed in the case and noted that one girl had written: “He has stolen my life from me forever.”

- Just before being sentenced, the man apologized.

- “Obviously I have a problem and I’ll deal with it when I get to the penitentiary,” he said.

- Court heard the accused’s girlfriend is also facing related charges and has a trial set for June.

I always say that prison is not effective and does not deter, but in this case, I feel that prison is an appropriate sanction. This man abused his trust as a father and committing some horrible acts against his daughters, sexually abusing them for years. This man needs to be in prison under the principle of incapacitation (so he will not commit more crime) and denunciation (society's disapproval of the crime). He is eligible for full parole in just over 3 and a half years. In prison, he should participate in sex offender programs.