Woman jailed for sex assault

Accused pleaded guilty in incident involving a teenage boy

A P.E.I. woman who pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a teenage boy who was living in her home was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail.

The woman, who The Guardian has chosen not to name to protect the victim’s identity, appeared before Justice James Gormley in P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown for sentencing.

Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Jeff MacDonald told the court the RCMP began its investigation after a complaint from a woman who believed the accused was providing drugs and alcohol to minors and having sexual relations with someone who was underage.

MacDonald said the RCMP interviewed several people who either lived at the accused’s house or visited often.

The court heard those interviews provided details about a house that was very messy with no heat and limited food.

MacDonald said people of all ages who were in the house, including minors, consumed alcohol and marijuana regularly that the accused provided.

As part of the investigation, an adult male was charged with a sex offence in a separate case involving one of the accused’s daughters who is younger than the age of consent.

The court heard the woman’s victim was dating her daughter and lived in the house even after the two broke up.

MacDonald said the victim started to sleep in the accused’s bedroom with her.

During the night of the offence, the accused was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when the victim got into bed with her and started to kiss the woman.

The accused remained clothed while the victim’s pants and underwear were pulled down throughout the incident that lasted about five minutes but didn’t involve penetration.

A 20-year-old man witnessed the incident and although the victim denied any sexual contact with the accused, she later pleaded guilty to the offence and admitted her guilt.

The accused later breached an undertaking by communicating with a 13-year-old boy through messaging service Snapchat every day for a week, although the court heard the messages were not of a sexual nature.

That charge was stayed.

The court heard child and family services became involved, and the woman’s children have been placed in foster care.

Before hearing her sentence, the accused stood to address the court, and her voice shook as she said she wanted to reiterate the remorse she has for everything she did.

The accused told the court her children were the most important thing in her life.

“They don’t deserve any of this,” she said.

In sentencing the accused, Gormley accepted a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence.

It was a serious offence and not behaviour the court or society condones, Gormley said.

After the accused is released from jail, she will be on probation for three years, which includes a condition she stay away from some areas where children could be present, if her probation officer directs her to.

She must also provide a DNA sample for the national databank and her name will be added to the national sex offender registry.