Landlord gets two years for sexual assault

Man faces deportation to Mexico after serving his sentence

A man who sexually assaulted a woman in an apartment in downtown Vancouver that he rented to her has been sentenced to two years less a day in jail.

Jorge Alim Vega Ramirez, 35, rented the one-bedroom apartment on West Georgia Street out to the victim, an ESL student from Japan, in February 2013.

In the early morning hours of May 5, 2013, the victim, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, was in her bedroom after an evening out socializing and drinking.

As she lay asleep in bed, Vega Ramirez entered her room and had non-consensual sexual intercourse with her.

When she realized what was occurring, she told him to stop and he did stop and left the room.

Later, as she left the apartment, the accused spoke to her at the door, telling her he liked her “too much” and he was sorry for what happened.

Vega Ramirez testified at trial and claimed the sex was consensual and she was fully awake.

He claimed that at a minimum, he had an honest but mistaken belief she consented and took reasonable steps to ascertain she was a willing participant.

But in June 2017, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jim Williams rejected his claims and convicted Vega Ramirez of sexual assault.

“The moral blameworthiness of the offender in this matter is high,” the judge said Tuesday.

“He was sober and aware of his actions. It was a deliberate act and profoundly violated the victim.”

The judge found that as a landlord, the accused breached the trust of a vulnerable individual.

“She had a right to expect that she would be safe there, safe from the predations of her landlord. That’s important because she was vulnerable there.”

In a statement to the court, the victim said the attack caused her significant emotional stress.

She moved to a transition home, had difficulty explaining the circumstances of the attack to her parents and has since required ongoing counselling.

Vega Ramirez is a Mexican citizen who came to Canada nine years ago after graduating from high school and attending university in Mexico.

He obtained a business management diploma from a college in Canada. He then completed a twoyear tourism and management program at Capilano University.

Vega Ramirez obtained a permit to work in Canada and for four years before the sex assault, he managed a restaurant in Vancouver.

Since his conviction he has lost his job and faces deportation after serving out his sentence.

The judge noted the accused’s attitude toward the offence was somewhat “ambiguous” and while his lawyer argued he was remorseful, the accused’s own comments to the court were “largely” focused on the effect of the events on himself.

However, the judge said the appropriate sentence was at the low end of the range for such cases, noting the accused had no prior criminal record and there was a lengthy delay in the conduct of the case.