Man gets six years for second sexual interference conviction in five years
A Bay of Islands man who has been convicted of sexual interference for the second time in five years — the latest against a 12-year-old girl with autism — has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Travas Kendall, 41, of Irishtown-summerside was given a 21-month sentence in 2012 for having had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
It wasn’t long after his release form prison before he began taking advantage of a position of trust he had with a 12-year-old to make her another victim of his predation.
Kendall, who was sentenced by Justice Brian Furey in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in Corner Brook Monday morning, had previously entered guilty pleas to two offences. The two charges were for sexual interference, though one specified an offence involving a young person with a disability.
Through an agreed statement of facts, the court had previously heard there were multiple sexual encounters between Kendall and the youth between March and August 2016. He had told her not to tell anyone about what they were doing because, if she did, her family would be broken up.
The Crown had asked for between six and eight years in prison, while the defence requested a five-year term of imprisonment.
Furey communicated his disappointment to Kendall, alluding to comments of the judge who had sentenced him in 2012. Justice Alan Seaborn had expressed a hope that Kendall was done with the legal system.
“The fact you’re here again means you have not followed Justice Seaborn’s direction,” said Furey.
Even more concerning for the judge was the fact Kendall had completed a sex offender program while incarcerated and still re-offended shortly after his release from prison. Further, said Furey, he committed these crimes against a vulnerable young girl who should have been able to trust him.
Furey called the offences serious and selfish and noted that a pre-sentence report done indicated Kendall had no insight as to why he re-offended, although he did express remorse about what he did. The report recommended a full clinical assessment for pedophilia be conducted on Kendall while he is in prison and Furey hoped that would be done.
In addition to the prison term, Kendall will be on the national sex offender registry for the rest of his life, will be subject to a weapons and ammunition prohibition for the rest of his life, must submit a sample of his DNA to authorities and will have restrictions on being around youth under the age of 16 for the next 20 years.
The court also heard that, while Kendall intends to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador after he is released from prison, he doesn’t plan to return to the north shore of the Bay of Islands.