Father jailed 16 years for sexual abuse of daughter

Sexually abusing his young daughter has landed a Calgary man a 16year jail sentence.

Citing the severity of the crimes, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Bruce Millar also dismissed a socalled Jordan application to have the conviction quashed due to excessive delays.

“The defendant’s crimes are grave and outweigh any inferred prejudice and delays,” said Millar, noting the case had lasted 68 months since its 2012 start and the Jan. 25, 2018 conviction.

Later he said, “There’ll be no more adjournments … This case has gone on long enough.”

The man, who can’t be identified to protect his victims, sexually abused his daughter for 2 ½ years, from December 2009 to May 2012 when she was between two and four years of age.

The abuse included sexual intercourse with the girl and forcing her to perform oral sex, sometimes while her brother was locked in another room.

“The victim’s older brother heard the victim crying while she was being sexually abused,” sad Millar.

“These are major sexual assaults committed on numerous occasions and amount to physical and psychological harm committed against her and her brother,” he said. “The repeated sexual abuse of a child by a parent is a crime like no other … The defendant abused a trust.”

Millar also said the man groomed his daughter for abuse by showing her sexual images.

“The mitigating factors are none,” said the justice.

Sitting in the public gallery, the defendant’s father quietly condemned the sentencing, calling the accusations “lies” and was censured by a nearby sheriff.

In 2014, the little girl testified during the trial in a separate room accompanied by Calgary Police Service trauma dog Hawk, believed to be the first such use of an animal in Canada.

Last January, Millar said the girl’s testimony was credible and made it “clear it was her father” who’d assaulted her.

While the Crown had sought a sentence of 18 years, the defence argued for either 12 or 13 years.