Woman sentenced for taking advantage of 82-year-old man

An elderly man who allowed a younger woman to live with him for sexual favours may have taken advantage of the woman, not the other way around, a Lethbridge defence lawyer argued with a judge.

The 82-year-old man, who also provided the 27-year-old woman with transportation and helped her get drugs, may not be the victim in the relationship, Wade Hlady suggested Tuesday during a hearing in Lethbridge provincial court. But Judge C. Spence disagreed.

“She’s the one taking advantage of an 82-year-old man,” Spence said.

Kerissa Plume pleaded guilty to single charges of theft over $5,000, possession of stolen property and failure to attend court. But while she admitted the offences, defence and the Crown did not agree on a sentence.

Court was told the elderly man allowed Kerissa Plume to live with him, and provided her with other perks in exchange for sex. But during the time she lived with him, she also stole his bank card and withdrew a total of $5,000 from his account.

Hlady asked the judge to hand his client a conditional sentence, which she could serve under house arrest. Failing that, he suggested allowing his client to serve jail time on weekends, which would allow her to take care of her young children.

The Crown, on the other hand, recommended a jail sentence with straight time, and pointed out Plume already has previous convictions, including failing to attend court. He suggested, given her record, she likely wouldn’t show up for her weekend stints in jail.

Spence agreed with the Crown and sentenced Plume to 90 days in jail for stealing the money, 10 days concurrent for possession of stolen property, and 10 days consecutive for failing to attend court, for a total of 100 days. However, the judge also gave her credit for the equivalent of 36 days she had already spent in custody, leaving 64 days to serve.

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