A St. Albert man pleaded guilty to a pair of sex offences against his stepdaughter, who revealed earlier this year that the man fondled her nightly for several years.
The man, who cannot be named under a publication ban protecting the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation and having sexual contact with a minor.
Crown prosecutor John Donahoe told the court that the offences occurred nightly for roughly three years, starting when the victim was nine years old.
Donahoe said the girl was too afraid to report the offences sooner.
In April 2012, 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 attempted and later penned a letter to her mother detailing the events.
Days later, the man tried to kill himself, at which point he came clean about the acts.
Donahoe withdrew two charges of sexual assault. The man is to be sentenced Feb. 25, 2013 in a St. Albert courtroom.
