School worker jailed for touching students

One by one in a Saskatoon courtroom, family members of sex offender George Gamble hugged and apologized to crying family members of the young children he victimized.

Gamble, 25, had just been sentenced at Court of Queen’s Bench to two years in prison followed by three years of probation for sexually touching five students while working as an educational assistant in 2014 and 2015.

The victims were all under 16 years old. Gamble pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual interference.

The charges each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail.

Defence lawyer Robert Dick argued the mandatory minimum was “cruel and unusual punishment” and therefore unconstitutional. He asked for three to eight months in jail if the charter argument was accepted and, if not, a sentence in the range of 12 to 18 months.

Crown prosecutor Tamara Rock argued for five years reduced to three years after applying the totality principle.

Justice Neil Gabrielson ruled an appropriate sentence would be more than one year, making the constitutionality of the mandatory minimum a moot issue because “(it) is not grossly disproportionate to the circumstances of this case.”

Gamble was in a position of trust and left multiple children extremely traumatized, Gabrielson noted in his sentencing.

A psychological assessment determined Gamble has an extremely low IQ and a mild intellectual disability, but is able to take responsibility for his crimes and understands what he did was wrong. Gamble will be on the national sex offender registry for the rest of his life.