Fall River man sentenced to seven years in prison for molesting, assaulting girls at daycare

A Fall River man who was previously found guilty of sexually abusing two girls and physically assaulting another at the daycare where he worked has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison.

John Huey Stanley Shaw, 58, was convicted in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in May on five charges: two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference against two different children and one count of assault against a third child.

He was sentenced Thursday by Justice John Keith to serve seven years and three months in federal prison for his crimes.

The victims, whose identities are all protected by a publication ban, are all girls and were six, eight and 11 years of age when they were abused by Shaw.

During the sentencing hearing Thursday, Keith described Shaw’s behaviour as “shocking,” particularly against the youngest victim, who he said endured the worst offences.

The fact that Shaw was in a position of trust as the co-operator of a daycare and that he used that position to exploit her innocence and abuse her and the other minor victim of sexual assault and interference was considered an aggravating factor, Keith said.

The fact there were multiple victims, all of whom were entrusted to Shaw’s care in a daycare was also considered an aggravating factor, Keith added.

No remorse

Additionally, Keith noted his sentencing decision took into account that Shaw has shown no remorse for his actions and maintains his innocence. He also relied on the findings of a forensic sexual behavior pre-sentence assessment that indicated Shaw was at an “alarmingly high” likelihood of reoffending without intensive treatment.

“The need to protect and nurture children is a fundamental elemental component of our shared humanity,” Keith said in his decision.

“It’s for this reason, among others, that crimes or sexual violence against children are so acutely unsettling and shocking. They represent a dark and powerful attack on the foundations of the human experience. And they create shockwaves that ripple out well beyond the actual event in time, in place, and in the names of people who may be negatively affected.”

The offences were committed between March 2016 and April 2020 at the daycare that Shaw’s former common-law spouse operated out of their home in Fall River.

Used candy to lure victim

In a summary of the agreed facts of the case, Keith described how Shaw operated the daycare with his former partner, working both together with his partner and alone during different parts of the day.

The youngest girl testified that Shaw molested her in the kitchen area on the lower level of the daycare on multiple occasions. She said he placed his hands inside her pants and rubbed her genitals and buttocks.

He used candy to lure her to the private kitchen area and sometimes gave her marshmallows, cookies or lollipops to eat while he abused her, according to her testimony.

In two separate incidents involving the 11-year-old girl, Shaw ground his pelvic area against her buttocks and whispered that he wanted to put his penis inside her. After one of these incidents, he gave her a chocolate with a Santa Claus wrapper – a detail she remembered vividly, the court heard.

The assault charge was rendered for incidents involving an eight-year-old girl who complained to her mother about a spanking or “tapping” game that she testified Shaw often played with the children. Keith found Shaw guilty of assault for these incidents, noting that the girl’s mother and the other daycare owner had repeatedly warned Shaw to stop engaging in this spanking “game.”

Mental trauma

In victim impact statements delivered in person by the mother and aunt of the youngest victim, the court heard that she has suffered significant mental trauma due to the “grooming” they say Shaw engaged in with the six-year-old.

Initially, the girl did not see herself as a victim, but later became devastated when she found out there were other children who were abused by Shaw. She believed he loved her and that his molestation of her made her “special,” her mother told the court Thursday.

“She continues to be upset that she wasn’t the only one with a secret with John Shaw.”

She said her daughter’s childhood and all her future relationships will forever be changed by the abuse she suffered at the tender age of six.

“He took his position of authority within a daycare and used it to his advantage to groom young children to fulfill his sexual desires,” she said.

“I believe that the justice system has not come close to catching up and making sure (punishment) is proportionate to the harm that a sex offender like John Shaw has on their young victims.”

Shaw was sentenced to four and a half years for the offences against the six-year-old, two and a half years for the offences against the 11-year-old and three months for the assault against the eight-year-old.

Once released, he will also be subject to an order banning him from public parks or seeking employment where he might have a position of authority over children under the age of 16 and having contact with children under the age of 16.

He was also ordered to register under the Sexual Offender Information Registration Act and must submit a DNA sample for forensic analysis.