Nine months and probation for child luring offence

A city man pled guilty to child luring and was sentenced Wednesday to nine months in jail and two years of probation.

The charge stems back to 2015, when Bryan Christopher Friesen messaged a girl through Facebook, according to a statement of fact read by the Crown at the Medicine Hat Courthouse. The girl right away told him she was 15 years old. Messages from Friesen — who was 29 at the time — included asking if they could cruise around in a car, with him masturbating. The girl, alongside a friend, eventually met with him and drove around, although nothing sexual occurred between them.

Friesen also sent explicit messages, requested nude photos and asked for a hand-job.

The Crown requested a sentence of one year, while defence counsel requested a sentence of six to nine months.

Victim impact statements by the youth and her mother entered as an exhibit, with these talking about the distress and fears the family has had since the incident.

Deterrence and denunciation are the primary factor for his sentence, said Judge G. Debow while giving his decision.

“There is harm in itself of the crime of Internet luring,” he said, including the harm and consequences to young, vulnerable people.

“There’s a premeditated aspect to this kind of charge as well.”

Debow also made note of the presentencing report on Friesen, and how it showed the man’s childhood and history is “tragic and dysfunctional” due to domestic violence, mental health, foster care and other tragedies. “In my view this is a man who has been isolated from society in many ways,” said Debow, adding that Freisen has reached out from time to time, and is currently seeking help for his issues. Due to time spent in pretrial custody, there are 218 days left for Friesen to serve. His probation will last two years, while ancillary orders include a sample of his DNA being taken, his name being put on the sexual offender registry for 10 years, and conditions that restrict his access to the Internet, and being in the presence of minors.

Freisen pled guilty to similar offences in January, where in 2015 he contacted a young girl over social media and didn’t ascertain that she was a minor even though there were signs he should have. On several occasions, he picked her up in his vehicle, drove her around and allowed her to drive.

Friesen masturbated in the car. At times the girl’s friends were also in the vehicle. There was no physical contact between Friesen and the youths. This case was settled by a restrictive peace bond that required him to take counselling, restricted his access to the Internet, and activities that would put him in contact with minors.