Father pleads guilty to sex offences against daughter

A young girl turned to stars and birthday candles in an attempt to wish away memories of being sexually abused by her father, court heard Tuesday.

The 15-year-old victim was in court to see her father sentenced for offences against her that took place in 2015.

In a victim impact statement, the youth wrote about wishing she could be a normal teenager instead of living in fear and experiencing flashbacks that make her physically ill.

“I have no choice but to ride out the memory — a terrible nightmare carousel ride that stops as abruptly as it starts. I hate those stupid flashbacks. I hate them so much,” she wrote.

The man cannot be identified to protect the identity of his daughter.

Following a voir dire — a trial within a trial to determine if evidence is admissible — that began earlier this month, the man pleaded guilty to three offences related to the abuse: touching for a sexual purpose, making child pornography and knowingly having sexual intercourse with his daughter.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the father told the girl’s mother and stepmother he was taking her out hunting for the weekend of Jan. 16, 2015.

Instead, he drove her to Edmonton from Grande Prairie and checked into a suite at Fantasyland Hotel in West Edmonton Mall.

Once in the room, he forced her to consume alcohol and an unknown narcotic, telling her to get “wasted.” The father then made her wear lingerie and pose as he took photos. Afterwards, he sexually assaulted his daughter. When she told him she was in pain, he became angry and continued the abuse.

He took her back to Grande Prairie the next day.

The girl reported him to police on April 21, 2015.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Avril Inglis accepted a joint submission on sentencing for a prison term of eight years, imposing a weapons prohibition and ordering the man to submit a DNA sample to a federal database.

He will also be subject to an order banning him from communicating with people under 16. The order also prevents him attending any location or holding a job, volunteer position or position of power where he would be in contact with a person under 16.

Due to the order, he will not be allowed to see his two sons without a supervisor and the court’s permission. Inglis also put on record that his wife will not be allowed to be the supervisor.

When given an opportunity to address the court, the man reiterated an earlier request that the judge had already denied, asking that he be allowed to drive his wife home and to hug his two sons before beginning his sentence.

Inglis repeated that she would not allow him to do that, and asked if he had anything to say about the sentencing.

“There’s not much to say,” he said.