A St. Albert man will spend the next six months behind bars for a pair of sex offences against his stepdaughter that occurred over several years.
The man, who cannot be named under a publication ban protecting the identity of the victim, appeared in St. Albert court on Monday to face charges of sexual contact with a minor and sexual exploitation.
Court heard in April 2012 that the man had been drinking heavily and went into his stepdaughter's bedroom to kiss her goodnight. He instead crawled into her bed and woke up beside her the next morning.
The girl woke up at roughly 4:30 a.m. to find her stepfather's hand on her abdomen. He then tried to reach beneath her clothing to fondle her genitals.
The girl attempted to leave the room, but was initially unsuccessful. She was able to flee on her second attempt and later penned a letter to her mother detailing the event.
Days later, the man tried to kill himself, at which point he came clean about the acts.
Court heard the offences occurred several times from August 2003 to April 2012, but the girl was too afraid to report the offences sooner.
The man appeared remorseful for his actions in court and admitted to having a history of alcohol abuse. He first pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2012, but sentencing was put over as the court was awaiting the results of a psychological assessment and pre-sentence report.
He has been on release from prison since April of last year.
Judge Bruce Garriock sentenced the man to six months in prison and 18 months probation. The man is prohibited from having contact with the girl and, on release, is banned from being in the company of anyone under the age of 16 unless accompanied by an adult.
The man is also prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years, must submit a DNA sample to the national criminal databank and will be registered under the National Sex Offender Registry for the next 20 years.
