Halifax man gets 6½ years for ‘abhorrent crimes’ against stepdaughter

HALIFAX, N.S. — A Halifax man convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison.

“These were abhorrent crimes perpetrated against a completely innocent, vulnerable child throughout a period of over six years,” Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice James Chipman said in his sentencing decision Friday.

“A father figure’s actions for self-gratification devastated a young person who should have been nurtured, not exploited.”

The 47-year-old man cannot be named because of a publication ban on the identity of the victim, who testified about being molested between the ages of 10 and 17.

The man stood trial on charges of sexual assault and sexual interference. Chipman found him guilty in July on both charges but stayed the sexual interference conviction at sentencing.

Crown attorney Steve Degen requested a sentence of seven to eight years, while defence lawyers Terry Sheppard and Samantha Gray recommended one year.

“Having regard to the facts of the case and Supreme Court of Canada authority, I find the Crown submission to be far more realistic,” the judge said.

Chipman quoted from the top court’s 2020 Friesen decision, which said: “When adult offenders in a position of trust sexually abuse innocent young children on a regular and persistent basis over substantial periods of time, they can expect to receive mid- to upper-single-digit penitentiary terms.”

The victim, who later transitioned and now identifies as a male, spoke of the lasting psychological effects of the abuse in an impact statement provided to the court.

“It turns out that my problem with sex was never my sexuality or my gender identity, but the repeated trauma of being molested,” the young man wrote. “Who would have thought?

“I need medical help when it comes to my mental state, but it seems so far out of reach most days. I’ve self-medicated since I was 14, using anything I can get my hands on that won’t immediately ruin my life, but it’s getting old.

“I want to be the person I know I’m capable of being, but this holds me back every day. It’s a lot easier to run away from these problems instead of fixing them, especially considering my financial situation.”

The victim said he has felt trapped ever since the abuse started and is “nowhere near” knowing how to escape the thoughts and feelings.

“I’m constantly looking for validation that I’ve never felt,” he said. “The feeling I’m looking for must not exist, because it was supposed to come from my parents and it’s just too late.

“I never had the chance to be innocent, I never got to be a kid. … Pushing this to the back of my head for so long has left me unable to become a complete individual. All I am is something that charms and pleases in the hopes of being loved.

“I will always be a victim of my own father figure. That doesn’t mean I’ll never accomplish anything, but it means it’s going to be much harder. But if I can go through this, I can go through anything.”

Chipman said it is clear from the statement that the crimes have had a “profound and lasting impact” on the victim.

Presentence report

In a presentence report, the man said he accepted the court’s finding. The defence’s sentencing submissions included 10 letters or emails of support from the man’s family, friends, employers and colleagues.

“By all accounts, (he) is described as hardworking and kind-hearted,” Chipman observed of the offender.

But he said the man “abused his position as stepfather … for his own sexual gratification.”

Chipman declined the defence proposal to adjourn the sentencing so the man could undergo a forensic sexual offender assessment.

“(He) will automatically undergo a risk assessment when he is placed within a federal institution,” the judge said. “Accordingly, ordering a risk assessment is not necessary.”

The fit and proper sentence, Chipman concluded, was 6.5 years. He ordered the man to have no contact with the victim while he’s serving the sentence.

The judge directed the man to provide a sample of his DNA for a national databank. After he gets out of prison, he will be prohibited from having firearms for 10 years and will be on the sex offender registry for 20 years.

Chipman also imposed a 10-year order prohibiting contact with children.