Man who exposed self to granddaughter sent to jail

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This article was published 22/07/2022 (1313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A man who pleaded guilty to exposing himself to his granddaughter and telling her she could touch him was sent to jail for a year and a half Friday morning.

The 61-year-old man cannot be named due to a publication ban on any details that could identify the underage girl. He previously pleaded guilty to invitation to sexual touching and indecent exposure.

The incidents took place over the span of three consecutive days, said Crown attorney Yaso Mathu, when the accused’s 10-year-old granddaughter was staying with him.

The man sat next to the girl late at night and masturbated three times, Mathu said.

“She was close enough to him that she was able to perfectly describe the way in which he was masturbating himself,” Mathu told the court.

“It finally culminated in him sitting in front of her with his genitals exposed, and legs splayed apart, and him telling her that ‘You can touch it if you want.’”

While the man is not accused of touching the girl or of penetration, Mathu said there is still devastating harm done to the victim.

The accused sat in the courtroom with his head down as Mathu spoke. At times he wiped tears from his eyes with a tissue.

Mathu noted the man was in a position of trust at the time, adding the offender’s actions would have had horrific effects on the girl. She said the exploitation was “plain to see” and there is a power imbalance between the child and the adult.

“When a child is sexually abused, the sentence that they serve internally can often last far, far longer than any sentence [the judge] may impose on the offender,” Mathu said, noting children are especially vulnerable.

The emphasis should be on the crime’s harm to the victim, their family and society, she said.

“He was her caregiver, she was close to him, she trusted him, and yet he behaved in this depraved way towards her.”

The man had a pre-sentence report prepared before court, but Mathu said he appears to victim blame in it and showed little insight into how his actions affected her.

Mathu recommended a sentence of three years in prison: two years for invitation to sexual touching, and one year for exposing himself.

The incident ripped the family apart, she said.

Defence lawyer Melissa Jenin said the sentence has to be in line with the crime. She noted there was no touching involved, and he didn’t repeatedly ask the girl to touch him.

The man had a difficult childhood growing up, she said, and was abused by his mother. He was also sexually abused himself, twice.

Her client also has mental health issues and suffers from depression, she said. At one point he had suicidal ideations, but didn’t follow through.

The man has shown remorse for the crimes by pleading guilty, she said. He knows the incidents created a rift in his family and takes responsibility. Jenin suggested a total sentence of one year in jail.

Speaking to the court, the man read from a letter to the victim and said he feels shame and regret for his actions.

“I broke your trust, I will regret this every day for the rest of my life … my only hope is someday you can forgive me. If you can’t, I fully understand,” he said.

Judge John Combs said sexual abuse has a “devastating” impact on children.

“Not only has the child lost two of the most important relationships in her life, she will likely be traumatized by someone close to her treating her in that fashion for a considerable period of time,” he said.

Despite this, he said he would take into account the man’s own personal factors and the fact he pleaded guilty, which saved the girl from being re-traumatized in court.

Combs sentenced the man to 15 months in jail for the invitation to sexual touching charge and a further three months in jail for indecent exposure. He also ordered him to provide a DNA sample to police, and banned him from public places where children under 16 may be present for five years.

The man was led into custody by Manitoba Sheriff officers at the end of the hearing.

» dmay@brandonsun.com

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