Siblings taken aback by 25-year sentence handed to abuser

A brother and sister who were subjected to years of sexual abuse at the hands of a man entrusted with their care, said they were “stunned” Tuesday when their now 69-year-old abuser was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Thomas Martin Butler was convicted after trial last fall of more than a dozen counts of sexual assault-related and assault offences committed between 1994 and 1998 on siblings Jeffery and Raven-Dominique Gobeil, who are now in their 30s.

“I wasn’t anticipating that the length would be 25 years,” said Raven-Dominique, a lawyer who has focused her career on child welfare law.

“That’s a pretty significant sentence, especially given what historically has been done in child abuse cases,” she said.

The sentence handed down by Saskatchewan provincial court Judge Kevin Lang, who heard the case, was the same sentence recommended by the Crown.

Sentences for sex offences against children have been on the rise since a 2020 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, known as R v Friesen, “reset” how courts should deal with offenders. The high court ruled such sentences should increase as society’s understanding of the great harm inflicted on children deepens.

“As a lawyer, it’s fantastic to see that the court is implementing these changes because I find our court system is so slow to change,” Raven-Dominique said. “As a victim, I feel like I’m in a state of shock. It’s a sentence that was deserved, especially because (Butler has) had 23 years of freedom from when the last abuse occurred to when we went to police.”

Raven-Dominique and Jeffery previously requested the court lift a publication ban on their names, saying they hoped going public would comfort and inspire other victims of abuse who feel ashamed.

“Twenty-five years is absolutely stunning, a shock, and a relief,” said Jeffery, a comedian and social worker.

“It’s nice to know that today is the last day I will ever see him,” he said.

Butler is the father of Jeffery and Raven-Dominique’s half-siblings. Court heard Butler abused the two children during regular weekend stays at his home.

Butler made the young children in his care abuse each other or watch others be abused and frequently forced them to consume alcohol or drugs, in part to dull their senses.

Butler involved other adults in the abuse and made threats about what could happen if the children told anyone.

When Raven-Dominique resisted Butler’s sexual demands, he locked her in the trunk of his car for hours at a time.

Butler told Jeffery to kill himself if the abuse ever came to light by drinking poison left under his kitchen sink.

“The events (Jeffery and Raven-Dominique) described as having occurred in the accused’s home during these quasi-shared parenting weekends over a span of years, were horrendous, to say the least,” Lang said.

Butler’s lawyers Mike Cook and Emilie Cook had urged Lang to sentence Butler to 10 years in prison, citing his age and failing health.

“Mr. Butler was very much aware of what the Crown recommended,” Mike Cook said outside court. “It is a very different thing though when you hear the judge pronounce the sentence. A 25-year sentence for a senior in very poor health is tantamount to a death sentence.”

Jeffery and Raven-Dominique had provided victim impact statements to court detailing the devastating and ongoing impact of Butler’s abuse.

Raven-Dominique said Butler robbed her children of the mother they deserve.

“I don’t know what it’s like to have a childhood, let alone a childhood that I believe that my child deserves,” she said. “How can I listen for their little feet walking down the hall in the night, when the sound of footsteps in the night causes me to freeze in fear?”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca