Girl, 5, asks judge to imprison brother who molested her, sister

In a letter to the judge, a five-yearold victim of sexual abuse asked if her half-brother could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

“She said she’s sad all the time and knows her mom is sad all the time and her sister is sad and doesn’t want to play with her anymore,” Judge Joseph De Filippis said Wednesday, reading excerpts from the child’s victim impact statement.

“She wants me to never let the defendant out of jail,” the judge said. “She never wants to see him again.”

The girl’s 11-year-old sister, who was also a victim, fears her halfsibling will kidnap her once he’s released from jail.

The 22-year-old Niagara man appeared in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines for a sentencing hearing on two counts of sexual interference. His name cannot be published in order to protect the identities of the two young victims.

After the five-year-old was molested in the spring of 2021, court was told, the defendant’s mother tried to dissuade her from reporting the incident but the child’s father took her to speak with police.

The second charge involves a series of incidents that also occurred in 2021 involving the older sister.

“He presents as a man who is angry, impulsive and does not comply with authority figures and suffers from substance abuse,” the judge said, summarizing a pre-sentence report.

The judge also noted the victims’ mother submitted a victim impact statement and described how she now suffers from emotional trauma as a result of what happened.

“I note the trauma she describes, which I accept as being sincere, is a bit at odds with the facts read in at the plea that she tried to dissuade one daughter from going to police.”

The Crown is seeking a custodial sentence of four years.

Crown attorney Michal Sokolski said “sexual tendencies” identified by the author of the pre-sentence report were concerning.

Defence lawyer V.J. Singh said his client had a dysfunctional childhood marred by constant abuse.

“He has been living in a perpetual ground zero as far back as he can recall,” he said. “He does not understand the normal parameters of boundaries in our society.”

The defendant told the judge he accepts responsibility for his actions and is deeply remorseful.

“With the support of my mother and my community I’ve been brought back from the brink of disaster,” the young man said. “I can confidently say with no doubt I will never reoffend.”

The sentencing hearing continues next week.

The Crown is seeking a custodial sentence of four years