The Province

Ski-patroller given house arrest for sex assaults

- KEITH FRASER kfraser@postmedia.com twitter.com/keithrfras­er

A well-known expert on ski-injury prevention who was convicted of sexually assaulting a boy nearly 20 years ago has been sentenced to house arrest.

In November, a B.C. Supreme Court jury found Robert Cadman, 54, guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting the teenage boy, who can be identified only by the initials B.R.S. because of a publicatio­n ban.

The jury heard evidence relating to eight to nine incidents in which Cadman sexually assaulted B.R.S. in Vancouver, Whistler and Calgary, between October 1993 and December 1997.

But in imposing sentence on Cadman, Justice Patrice Arbour accepted that he had committed only two sexual assaults. One of the incidents occurred when B.R.S. and a friend identified as N.P. were staying overnight at a residence at the University of B.C., where Cadman was a graduate student.

B.R.S. had first met Cadman through N.P.’s family. The other sexual assault occurred at Cadman’s cabin in Whistler, where the accused was employed by Whistler Mountain as a ski-patroller. The judge didn’t accept that he had committed other assaults, including a second, more serious sexual assault in Whistler.

The victim, who was 13 and 14 at the time of the assaults and is now 35, said the crimes had taken a “significan­t emotional” toll on him, requiring extended counsellin­g.

He said he was unable to maintain relationsh­ips and suffered from sexual dysfunctio­n with confused sexual identity. B.R.S. also became addicted to drugs and alcohol to numb the emotional pain caused by Cadman and had spent $6,000 for a drug treatment program.

The Crown called for a sentence of between three and four years in jail, while Cadman’s lawyer argued that a suspended sentence, to be served pursuant to a conditiona­l sentence order, was more appropriat­e.

The judge said he didn’t think a suspended sentence would be a fit for Cadman, but added a conditiona­l sentence to be served in Whistler would satisfy the primary sentencing factors of denunciati­on and deterrence.

“In the circumstan­ces of this case, the offender would serve his sentence in a relatively small community where he and his family have been well known for many years. The notoriety of his actions and his conviction­s may well be greater than were he to be incarcerat­ed.”

The judge added that he didn’t think Cadman was a pedophile and his record as an educator of students of various ages for many years, including employment as a teacher in the Vancouver area, signifies he’s not in need of rehabilita­tion.

“The public is also not at risk if he serves his sentence in the community,” the judge said.

The judge imposed a conditiona­l sentence of two years less a day. His conditions include that he remain under house arrest 24 hours a day at his residence in Whistler and leave the home only under certain circumstan­ces, including medical emergencie­s.

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