An unworthy father who “found it funny” to simulate sexual acts on his 7-year-old daughter failed to make a judge laugh, who instead sentenced him to 30 months in penitentiary.
“The actions taken by the offender against his prepubescent daughter are serious and odious. It’s difficult to imagine a worse breach of trust than that of a father on his daughter,” judge Serge Délisle recently commented at the Longueuil courthouse.
Recalling the importance of protecting children from all sexual violence, the judge was not laughing when he sentenced the accused, a 61-year-old truck driver from Montérégie, for his crimes committed 10 years ago.
At the time, the accused took advantage of his partner’s absence to attack his then 7-year-old daughter. After undressing, he forced his daughter to perform sexual acts on him.
“The delinquent smiles, he finds it funny,” lamented the magistrate.
The accused, who cannot be named to protect his daughter’s identity, then did it again two years later, simulating penetration under the covers. And again this time, the accused started laughing.
“He thus sexualized his daughter, aged between 7 and 9 years old, who does not understand what is happening and who does not understand the reprehensible nature of sexual acts,” said the judge.
Caught up by #MeToo
During the abuse, the victim was “uncomfortable.” However, at her age, she did not understand that the actions were reprehensible. The #MeToo movement, however, pushed her to file a complaint, in order to “get out of the uncomfortable situation of living with her father, her attacker”.
The victim’s mother then explained that the abuse had “forever changed the family’s life” and that she is still far from recovery, “if there can be recovery”.
“We are devastated, there are no other words,” she testified, explaining that the whole family was consulting psychologists and doctors.
During the trial, the sixty-year-old had maintained his innocence, but in light of all the evidence, the judge instead found him guilty of sexual interference and incitement to sexual contact.
“One is already too many”
He hoped to get out with a year of incarceration followed by a long probation, but the judge did not agree, despite a low risk of reoffending.
“There were two events over a period of two years,” he recalled. One event is already too many.”
The magistrate also warned those who would describe the criminal actions of the unworthy father as “minor”, given that there was no penetration.
“On the contrary, any action of a sexual nature committed against a child can cause devastating effects,” he said, recalling that only a “significant” prison sentence could be imposed.
In addition to the 30-month incarceration, the accused will no longer be able to go near the victim’s home for the rest of his life. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 20 years.