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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Jail for woman's sex assault on boy

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 10/3/2012 1:00 AM

A Winnipeg woman is heading to jail for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy.

Samantha Mason, 32, was given a 16-month sentence after being convicted at trial on the grounds the victim was too young to give legal consent under the Criminal Code. She has serious mental-health problems and had just been released from a psychiatric facility when the 2010 incident happened, court was told.

Mason moved in with a friend, who is the parent of a teenage daughter. One day, the 13-year-old boy visited the daughter. A drunken Mason convinced the boy to sneak away for sex.

The Crown sought an 18-month total sentence. They admitted the typical starting point for a sexual-assault sentence is about three years in prison, but said they were asking for much less based on the "mitigating" factors in this case, including Mason's mental state.

Mason's lawyer had asked for no further jail time, saying her seven months of pretrial custody was sufficient. Queen's Bench Justice Brenda Keyser decided to give Mason another nine months in jail, in addition to time served.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 3, 2012 A8

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