No jail time for man who confessed, decades later, to sexually abusing son

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This article was published 21/12/2015 (3880 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He walked into an RCMP detachment looking to clear his conscience.

Now a 58-year-old man has avoided a jail sentence after admitting to sexually assaulting his own son during an incident that happened in Thompson, Man., in 1982 — and would have forever remained a secret if not for his stunning confession in 2014.

The man, who can’t be named to protect the identity of his victim, was given a nine-month conditional sentence that allows him to remain free in the community. Manitoba provincial court Judge Doreen Redhead cited the unusual circumstances of the case in giving a penalty that is much lower than what normally might have been expected.

“He made the decision to report the abuse to the authorities in order to take responsibility for his actions after making a ‘commitment to Christ’ in 2012. His ‘inner voice’ kept reminding him that he had committed a sin against his son and needed to be held accountable.

“He believed that it was not enough to keep the abuse between him and God,” Redhead said in summarizing the evidence.

The victim’s father admits to a one-time act on the victim, who was six months old at the time and had no recollection of what was done to him. The father said he was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident, which left the man crying.

Victim ’embarrassed, angry’

The father kept his actions hidden for 32 years until he turned himself in to RCMP in Alberta, where he was living; the incident itself took place while the family lived in Thompson, Man. His confession also included a letter of apology to his adult son, who was stunned to learn what had been done to him.

“He felt that, due to the nature of the assault, that his father should be held accountable for his actions,” Redhead said of the son.

“He recounts how he has had difficulty concentrating since he learned of the abuse. He feels embarrassed, angry and has trouble sleeping. He uses substances to cope. He fears what he may do to himself or others because he has trouble controlling his anger. He also has difficulty controlling his anger when he sees how hurt his mother is.”

The victim has found himself facing his own legal troubles, which he blames on alcohol use as a result of trying to cope with learning what was done to him.

Jail sentence sought

The Crown was seeking one year of real jail against the accused, who has a limited criminal record from the 1970s and is otherwise a good citizen and contributing member of society, court was told. The man’s lawyer filed numerous letters of support from friends and co-workers. He has also been deemed a low risk to re-offend.

“In the present case, we have an offender who let his conscience guide him in his need to be held accountable. But for (his) disclosure and accompanying guilty plea, the offence would not have come to light as there were no witnesses,” said Redhead.

“And although the offence which (he) committed against his own child is repugnant, he has taken responsibility and admitted his guilt, notwithstanding that the Crown had no case against him without his confession.”

The accused was asked in court why he committed the sexual abuse against his son. He replied that he must have been “sick” at the time.

“Although I generally agree that conditional sentences would not be appropriate in child-abuse cases, the facts in this case are rather unusual and unique. What we have is an offender who has self-reported abuse where there were no other witnesses,” said Redhead.

“He and his family have faced tremendous hardship and grief as a result of his guilty conscience and his need for redemption in the eyes of a higher power. He was prepared to face the consequences of his disclosure and to be held accountable.”

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