A 29-year-old man who kissed and fondled a 14-year-old girl living in a home with him was sentenced to a year of probation after pleading guilty on Monday.
The man pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault and was handed the sentence along with an order that will require him to be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years and an order requiring him to be part of the national DNA database.
The young girl’s identity is covered by a publication ban. The man is not related to her, but was living with him and her aunt at the time of the incident.
Crown prosecutor John Donahoe told the court the girl moved in with her aunt and the man, who was a roommate. She became infatuated with the man and the kissing and fondling began a short time after she moved in.
The aunt and the man came to police on June 10 this year and reported the inappropriate relationship. The man admitted to everything and the young girl told police the relationship was entirely consensual.
The age at which a young person can consent to sexual activity was raised in 2008 from 14 to 16, which the man’s defence lawyer pointed out meant that this contact would not have been illegal previously.
A drunken act of violence against an unsuspecting window will cost a man $500 and the cost of its replacement.
Shane Robert Markwart pleaded guilty to a single count of mischief for the incident, which took place in the early morning hours of Sept. 29 at the Blind Pig Pub.
Police received a call about the incident from the bar staff and when they arrived, they found Markwart bleeding heavily from the arm.
Markwart freely admitted to smashing the window and was taken by ambulance to treat his wounds.
His lawyer said the incident was a wake-up call and Markwart has been drug and alcohol free since the incident.
In addition to the fine Markwart will be on probation for three months. During that time he will have to abstain completely from alcohol and pay restitution to the bar for the cost of the window.
Two crimes committed in quick succession have served as a red flag of a troubling drinking problem for a young man.
Jeremy Klassen, 20, pleaded guilty to single counts of theft, mischief and two breaches of bail condition for two separate incidents.
Alcohol was a significant factor in both and Klassen told the court he had confronted the extent of his problem while being held without bail.
“Being in the remand centre for the first time gave me time to think about my alcohol abuse.”
Police were first alerted to Klassen on Nov. 28 at the Trail liquor store in St. Albert. He walked into the store took a bottle of Jack Daniels and simply walked out.
Staff called police, but Klassen walked in a short time later with a rock and the now half-empty bottle and said, “You go ahead and call the police.”
After being arrested then, Klassen came to police attention again a week later on Dec. 5. Early that morning they received a call from a resident of the Rivercrest apartments complaining that Klassen was knocking repeatedly on their door.
When police arrived Klassen was severely intoxicated, but he went with them willingly.
In presenting the proposed sentence, Crown prosecutor John Donahoe said it was clear alcohol was a problem here that needed to be addressed.
“He definitely needs to do something about his alcohol addiction.”
Judge Bruce Garriock sentenced Klassen to a year of probation with requirement that he abstain from alcohol and take any counselling his probation officer directs.
