Man Jailed – By Latrishka Thomas
Man Jailed Six Years
A man who betrayed the trust of a vulnerable teenage girl by turning a safe haven into a place of abuse, has been handed a six-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of having sexual intercourse with a dependent and indecent assault.
According to the Crown’s case, the complainant initially lived with her mother and stepfather but was sent to stay with her biological father as punishment for having Facebook on her school tablet. Uncomfortable in that arrangement, her aunt brought her to live in the home she shared with her husband — the accused — and their two sons.
The complainant shared a bedroom with one of the boys, as the room contained two beds. She testified that she initially viewed the accused as a father figure, but the relationship deteriorated when he began entering the room at night, while his son was asleep, and touching her inappropriately.
The prosecution alleged that in November 2018, when the complainant was 16 years old and the accused was 56, he asked her and one of his sons to accompany him on an errand to a farm. However, before the boy was ready, the accused left with the complainant alone.
The complainant testified that he drove to a secluded, bushy area where he touched her inappropriately and started forcing himself on her. She said he threatened to drive them both off a cliff if she didn’t comply with his demands, so she stopped resisting and he engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
The matter was eventually addressed through family meetings where the accused reportedly admitted to engaging in sexual acts with the complainant but denied penetration. When no action was taken, the complainant’s stepfather reported the matter to police in 2022.
On the other hand, the accused claimed that one day the complainant asked him to drive her to see her boyfriend. He said he was initially hesitant, warning that her aunt would find out, but she assured him otherwise. After taking her once, she allegedly requested a second trip, which he refused until she offered to allow him to perform oral sex on her in exchange.
He testified that later that day, he reminded her of the agreement and asked her to come to the guest room. According to his account, she instead asked him to come to her room after midnight when his son would be asleep, and he complied and went through with the alleged arrangement.
Days later, the accused claimed, she asked him to have intercourse with her. He said that’s when he invited her to the farm, drove to a secluded location, and kissed and touched her but could not get an erection, so they left.
The accused’s wife testified during the trial that her husband suffers from erectile dysfunction. Prosecutor Curtis Cornelius, however, suggested to her that perhaps he simply wasn’t sexually attracted to her, to which she replied, “That’s on him.”
Defence counsel suggested the stepfather orchestrated the accusations to discredit his now ex-wife in a custody battle, though he denied this. The defence also argued the complainant fabricated the allegations because her stepfather promised her a trip and a phone if she cooperated.
The jury ultimately rejected the rape charge but convicted him in November of 2025 on the alternative count of sexual intercourse with a dependent — an offense that applies when someone in a position of authority, trust, or care engages in sexual activity with a person under their responsibility- as well as indecent assault.
This week, he was sentenced to six years on the primary count and one year on the assault charge, with both terms running concurrently.
