Two-year sentence for Neepawa man convicted of luring teenage co-worker

A Neepawa man who was found guilty of luring and sexually touching an underage co-worker has been sentenced to two years in custody.

The man, 45, was found guilty of child luring, sexual interference and sexual assault after standing trial in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench in April.

The sexual assault charge was stayed under the Kienapple principle, which prevents multiple convictions that stem from the same criminal act.

The accused cannot be named to protect the identify the victim.

In a written decision released Wednesday, Justice Scott Abel outlined the circumstances of the man’s offending.

Over the summer of 2019, the man and the 15-year-old victim worked together at a Neepawa business. The man hugged and touched the victim in a sexual manner on several occasions. He touched her buttocks, lower back and upper thigh.

The man and the victim messaged each other over Facebook Messenger during this time. The man’s texts included messages stating, “Get back in here and love me” and “I need you.”

“The offender, in committing the luring offence, was using psychological manipulation to gain the trust of the victim. His communication was designed to develop a rapport with the victim,” Abel wrote.

“Luring invades a child’s personal autonomy, sexual integrity and gravely wounds their identity. Using any person as a means to an end is unethical, but an adult’s manipulation of a child to satisfy their sexual urges is highly blameworthy conduct.”

Abel said the harm associated with luring and the harm associated with sexual interference are distinct, and so the sentences should be served consecutively.

He called the sexual interference deliberate and said the offender was “aware that his acts were wrong.”

While Abel acknowledged that the harm to the victim is unknown since she didn’t write a victim impact statement, the victim will, in some way, be impacted by the man’s actions, he said.

Abel also said the offender showed “little insight into his offending behaviour.”

“The (pre-sentence report) notes that he felt left in the dark by the police, his focus being on himself, rather than the harm, or potential harm, to the victim,” Abel wrote.

He also noted that although the man apologized to the victim and her family when he had a chance to speak in court during his last hearing, he also talked about how difficult the situation has been for him and his family — turning the focus onto himself again.

Abel said the Crown’s recommendation of a total sentence of six-and-a-half years was not proportionate to the gravity of the offences. He decided on a total sentence of two years — 10 months for the luring and 14 months for the sexual interference.

His sentence will be followed by two years of supervised probation.

— Brandon Sun