TRURO, N.S. — For a period of 46 years, beginning in 1968, Arthur Chestnut preyed upon and sexually abused six children and young teenagers.
On Wednesday, he was led out of a Truro courtroom by sheriff’s deputies to begin serving a 13.5-month jail sentence.
“I recognize that the victims in this case have suffered,” Judge Al Bégin told the court during sentencing. “Any sentence I impose will not absolve that suffering. Indeed, any sentence I impose will likely be seen as deficient in the eyes of the victims. I understand that but it is very difficult for a court to say what degree of punishment is likely in any particular case to be regarded as sufficient by the victims,” he continued. “We do not impose punishment simply for the sake of retribution.”
Chestnut, 70, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexual interference between 1968 and 2014, all involving individuals under age 16.
The sexual abuse began in a church basement in Truro when Chestnut was a Cub leader. His first victim was Dr. Kevin Sibley, who was nine, when Chestnut instructed the boy, after everyone else had left, to remove his pants and underwear. Chestnut then placed the boy over his knee and began to spank him.
Although the names of the victims had originally been protected by a publication ban, the names of Sibley and Chestnut’s niece, Alexis Chestnut, 18, were lifted by the judge at their request through Crown attorney Thomas Kayter.
During a sentencing recommendation hearing on Tuesday, the court heard a heart-wrenching and disturbing victim impact statement from Sibley who told of the severe impact the fallout from his abuse had haunted him throughout his life.
Once a respected agricultural engineer, research scientist, professor and senior leader “across multiple industries and within government and academia,” Sibley’s life spiraled downward from the tormenting effects of his abuse until 2014 when he was hospitalized after being on the verge of suicide.
His hard-earned career ended at that point and Sibley said he has been on long-term disability ever since.
“I was a nine-year-old boy. It has affected my life,” he said while reading his statement.
“I have essentially lived a life of what I call ‘had to’, versus a life of ‘want to’ in order to survive all these years.”
Sibley said he developed a fear of people who had authority over him and that he had been haunted by sightings of Chestnut over the years but never had the courage to actually face him until after he began receiving counselling.
In 2018 he summed up the courage to speak to the Truro Police, which ultimately led to Chestnut’s arrest.
“The victim impact statements revealed the true, long-lasting and pervasive consequences of repeated criminal sexual assaults by Mr. Chestnut ..." Judge Bégin
When later criticized about why he never came forward sooner, Sibley said he did inform an authority figure nearly 50 years ago while still a Cub. But the only thing that happened was Chestnut was relieved as a Cub leader and Sibley was told never to speak of it again.
“It is safe to say that Mr. Chestnut sexually abused children that he had developed a relationship with. These were children who had learned to place their trust in Mr. Chestnut as a result of his relationship with each victim, either by being a Cub leader, a babysitter or a relative,” Bégin said.
“The victim impact statements revealed the true, long-lasting and pervasive consequences of repeated criminal sexual assaults by Mr. Chestnut against the six known victims for his own deviant and abusive sexual gratification,” Bégin said.
And while the victims may not consider the imposed sentence to be strong enough, he continued, a period of custody for such offences is only one consideration judges must make.
“I must also consider the very clear need to rehabilitate and treat Mr. Chestnut so that he does not re-offend again and so that hopefully, he can obtain the necessary tools to control his deviant urges.”
Bégin said he opted for the low end of the custodial sentence put forth in a joint recommendation by the Crown and defence attorneys because he wants Chestnut to be able to take advantage of a sexual offender program that begins each fall.
Following his release Chestnut must serve a three-year probation period. Additionally, he must take counselling for gambling and sexual deviance addictions, submit a DNA sample to the national bank and his name will be placed on the Sexual Offender Registry for life.
Chestnut must also adhere to a 10-year firearms and weapons ban and for the same period, he is not permitted to be in a place (public park, daycare, school property, etc.) where children may reasonably be present.
Chestnut must also make no contact with any of his victims and following his release he is not permitted to be inside the Truro library unless accompanied by another adult.
Carrying a heavy burden
Sibley was nine then. He’s 59 now.
And for the past 50 years he has been tortured by "IT" – a faceless, nameless part of his soul that has haunted him, left him feeling angry, sad, worthless, withdrawn from others and, for far too much of his life, so deeply depressed that he came oh so close to putting a noose around his own neck.
“I withdrew from other people,” an obviously disturbed Kevin Sibley said, while reading a deeply detailed, 15-page victim impact statement in provincial court.
“And at times I thought of ending my life.”
Sibley was just a wolf Cub back then, happily attending sessions in a Truro church, when the incidents that would lead to the later invention of his "IT" took place. One night, as everyone else was leaving, his cub leader asked him to help him clean up and move some equipment into another room. The leader came into the room, shut the door and told the nine-year-old boy to remove his pants and underwear. The leader then placed the boy over his knee and began to spank him.
And, so it began.
Such were the disturbing revelations disclosed during the sentencing submissions for Arthur Chestnut, 70, of Prince Street who previously pleaded guilty to sex-assault related charges involving six individuals – both male and female – dating to between January 1968, when he served as a Cub leader in Truro, and December 2014.
Although the names of Chestnut’s victims, who were all under age 16, were protected by a publication ban, Sibley and another victim, Alexis Chestnut, 18, were granted permission by the court to have their names released publicly.
“I was a nine-year-old boy. It has affected my life.” - Sibley
In his victim impact statement Sibley said he removed his pants when he was told to because he had been taught to obey his elders.
“I was a model Cub. About all the leaders, I was trained to respect, trust and to do as I was told without question as all Cubs were trained from day one,” he said.
He was too young to realize what was happening and was left confused because he didn’t know what he had done to deserve a spanking.
From victim statements relayed to the Truro Police, Crown attorney Thomas Kayter told the court the boy of 50 years ago was instructed “not to tell anyone or he would get into big trouble and he would be labelled as a bad kid.”
That scenario would repeat itself several times over the next few months, during which the man told police that Chestnut “appeared to be getting his jollies” and became sexually aroused when the spankings occurred.
The man also recalled incidents where another Cub would be present as Chestnut spanked each in turn while also touching their private parts and having them touch him as well.
While the incidents with the young victims are deemed to be on the lower end of the sexual assault spectrum, there could be no mistaking the damning toll the perpetrator’s actions have had on the victim’s life.
“I am truly grateful for this opportunity to present my victim impact statement today,” Sibley said, as he began.
“I was a nine-year-old boy. It has affected my life.”
To give a full accounting of how badly the incidents affected his life over the past half-century “would no doubt require me to write a tome,” he said.
Instead, Sibley said he would restrict his statement to “elucidating” the memories and events that are “most severe” and which are known to him as of now.
“I have essentially lived a life of what I call ‘had to’, versus a life of ‘want to’ in order to survive all these years.”
Despite being an intellectual student and a sports champion who would go on to receive a high level of education and respected career, Sibley described another side of life he hid from his family, friends and colleagues.
"'Had to’ refers to all the times that I felt I had little to no choice but to make certain decisions and accept certain situations that were harmful to me because of ‘IT’, capital I T underlined,” he said.
“Yes, I know life, in general, is not easy. But, for me, ‘IT’ often caused irrational reactionary behaviors and emotions. ‘IT’ still does. I rarely felt I could make life decisions that I wanted to make. ‘IT’, also caused me to live small and dumb down, attempting to fit into a world around me that for the most part felt foreign. A life of acquiescence to the will of those in authority over me, particularly my bosses, afraid they would abuse me in some way for their own will or pleasure if I did not do what they wanted.”
For many periods of his life, Sibley said, he would “drop into a deep level of an emotional state” that he now realizes, after years of counselling, were “depressive episodes.”
“I felt hurt, very sad, frustrated, angry, overwhelmed, hopeless, anxious, worthless and extremely tired.” - Sibley
Those episodes led to a marital breakdown and serious difficulties and estrangements with siblings, a career fallout and periods of feeling “disconnected from himself and what was going on around me.”
“I felt hurt, very sad, frustrated, angry, overwhelmed, hopeless, anxious, worthless and extremely tired.”
He became disinterested in his life and withdrew from being with other people.
Despite carrying his “heavy burden” for so long, however, Sibley said he built up walls of survival and taught himself to keep "IT" at bay until he reached a point in 2011 when his “walls began to crumble” and he began to have serious suicidal thoughts.
“On April the 14th, I had made the decision to hang myself that night. Luckily, or by spiritual intervention,” he said, his suicidal intention was outed by his medical doctor with whom he had an appointment that morning.”
At that point, the details of his sexual abuses were still “buried inside of me but were starting to manifest themselves in ways I couldn’t see,” he said.
That led to a medical diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and suicidal ideation.
It would still take years of counselling and other events before he could go to the police with his information, he said. But when he did, it brought others forward, including Chestnut, who admitted his guilt to police and even provided additional information which the court heard otherwise may have never come to light.
But it was obvious from his presentation in court that he is still not free from the effects of sexual abuse and the manifestation of "ITs" hold on him from a half-century ago.
