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EDMONTON – Shannon Bradford Dixon has been sentenced to 12 and half years for his shocking crimes against seven women from communities across Alberta. After already serving 25 months, that leaves a sentence of 10 years and five months.
Dixon’s offences include:
- extortion
- uttering threats
- assault
- criminal harassment
- bestiality
- sexual assault
- obstruction
Dixon met most of the victims through online dating sites. Once he met them in person, he began to abuse the women physically, sexually, emotionally, and financially.
“The reason why I came forward is so that other women don’t suffer what we went through,” one of Dixon’s victims said outside the courthouse Friday. “It is important to listen to those bells in the back of your head and say something’s not right and follow your hearts.”
Through an agreed statement of facts, court heard how 36-year-old Dixon took advantage of the women. One victim lost more than $230,000. Another victim was extorted because of nude pictures Dixon threatened to expose. Two other women were sexually assaulted, with one being forced into bestiality with a dog.
The offences happened all over Alberta, including Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan.
“A lot of the crimes were reported after the fact, so physical evidence and things like that, in terms of the sexual assaults, we weren’t able to glean any of that,” said Cpl. Colette Zazulak with Spruce Grove/Stony Plain RCMP.
“It was several years of work, looking at offences in different jurisdictions, seven different victims, and an offender who fled the province for a period of time,” Zazulak explained.
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Dixon was arrested in Ontario in March of 2011.
He said nothing Friday, when given the chance to speak in court.
Justice Sterling Sanderman said to him “you engaged in predatory behaviour.” Sanderman told court how Dixon used “systematic intimidation” on his victims.
The Crown was seeking 12 to 14 years, while the Defence wanted a 10-year sentence.
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News.
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