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A western Newfoundland man who sexually abused his former partner’s young daughter has been given two and a half years in prison.
The 43-year-old man cannot be named because of a court-ordered publication ban that protects the victim’s identity.
The man was found guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference by Judge Wayne Gorman following a trial at provincial court in Corner Brook this fall.
On Friday morning, Gorman sentenced him to two and a half years for each offence, but the time will be served concurrently.
The offender was given 72 days credit for time served prior to being sentenced.
In addition, he must provide authorities with a sample of his DNA; will be placed on the national sex offender registry for life; is prohibited from being in the presence of children under 16, unless accompanied by an adult, for the next 10 years; and is prohibited from owning any weapons or ammunition for 10 years.
At trial, the court heard the man had performed oral sex on the 10-year-old girl and then got her to do a similar act on him around four years ago.
The man — whose criminal record includes prior convictions for break and entry, theft and driving while banned from doing so — denied having sexually assaulted the girl. In convicting him, Gorman said the man’s defence of not having had the opportunity to do the things he was accused of was nonsensical and purposely false.
In a victim impact statement filed as part of the sentencing process, the young girl said the incident made her feel scared when she is alone with anybody and she has to take a pill to help her sleep.
“What he did made me feel icky,” she said in her statement. “I felt freaked out.”
She also expressed a fear of her abuser.
“I am afraid and, if I ever see him again, I would run away from him,” she said.
As part of the sentence, the man is also prohibited fro making any contact with the victim while serving the sentence.
