Middle-aged man jailed for having sex with teen boy
KAMLOOPS A middle-aged Kamloops man who had sex with a 14-year-old boy he met on a hookup app has been ordered to spend a year in prison.
Gardian Angel was handcuffed and taken into custody after his sentencing hearing at the Kamloops Law Courts on Wednesday. He had been free on bail following his arrest in 2016.
Angel was convicted in May of sexually touching a person under 16 years of age after a trial in front of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Len Marchand, who said he found the accused’s testimony incredible.
Court heard Angel and the teen met in July 2016 on Grindr, an app used by gay and bisexual people looking to meet up. The teen was 14 years old and Angel was 53.
They met once and engaged in
The consequences of sexual abuse of children are often devastating and can last a lifetime.
sexual intercourse at Angel’s Aberdeen condo.
“The aggravating factors are the complainant’s age, the significant difference in age between the accused and the complainant, and the impact on the complainant,” Marchand said in delivering his sentence, also noting Angel has not shown remorse for his actions.
“Mr. Angel has not taken full responsibility for his actions and apologized to the complainant.”
Angel delivered a brief apology during a hearing in front of Marchand last week. The judge said it was not adequate given the circumstances of the offence.
In court, Angel said he was the victim of childhood sexual assault himself. Marchand said that fact should have made him think twice before offending.
“As Mr. Angel knows, the consequences of sexual abuse of children are often devastating and can last a lifetime,” he said.
Once he is released from prison, Angel will be bound by an 18- month probation order with terms barring him from having contact with the complainant, being alone with anyone who appears to be under 16 and possessing a device capable of accessing the internet or any kind of social media.
Angel, who had no criminal record, was also ordered to surrender a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database and register as a sex offender for 20 years.