Crown wants pedophile declared long-term offender

The Crown will seek to have a Halifax senior who sexually abused three girls over a 12-year period declared a long-term offender at sentencing.

William James Martin, 66, pleaded guilty in Halifax provincial court in April to a total of eight charges: three counts of sexual interference, four of invitation to sexual touching and one of possessing child pornography.

Crown attorney Sean Mccarroll then applied to have Martin assessed by a forensic psychiatrist to see if he met the criteria for either a dangerous offender or a longterm offender.

Martin appeared in court Wednesday via a video link from jail.

Mccarroll announced he has decided, based on the assessment report, to apply to have Martin designated a long-term offender. That would mean Martin would be subject to up to 10 years of strict supervision in the community after he serves his prison sentence.

Judge Elizabeth Buckle will hear the Crown’s application next June.

Five days have been booked for the hearing.

Defence lawyer Peter Planetta said it was too early to know whether he will be calling his own expert to testify at the hearing.

Buckle scheduled the case to return to court in early October for an update.

Martin committed the offences against the girls between 2008 and 2020 in Halifax.

Two of the victims were between five and 10 years of age when they were molested. The third girl was between four and six.

Their identities are protected by a publication ban.

Mccarroll told the court in April that Martin “engaged in sexual activity with each of the three girls on multiple occasions in multiple ways. He subjected them to child pornography and had them perform sexual acts on him.”

One of the girls informed her parents March 11, 2020, that Martin had been inappropriate with her. Halifax Regional Police, in conjunction with a Department of Community Services case worker, interviewed the girl a week later.

Martin was arrested March 28, 2020, and confessed to abusing the girl. He also admitted being in possession of a large quantity of child pornography.

He was released by police on an undertaking and a promise to appear in court. He was re-arrested April 20 on charges of molesting a second girl.

Charges involving the third child were added later.

Police seized electronic devices during a search of Martin’s residence when he was first arrested. A forensic analysis identified 663 images and videos of child pornography — some showing infants being assaulted by men.

Martin has two earlier convictions for sexual assault, both for incidents involving the same girl between January 2002 and October 2004. The victim was five when the abuse began.

He received a one-year conditional sentence and two years’ probation in July 2005 and was required to participate in sex offender counselling.

“Mr. Martin has now sexually assaulted four children under the age of 10,” Mccarroll said in a brief to the court in May.

“These assaults have taken place over a span of many years. He has also amassed a large quantity of extremely graphic child pornography. Furthermore, he has continued to reoffend despite having taken sex offender programming.”