Crown seeks up to 4 months behind bars for man who sexually assaulted woman in B.C. park

A 23-year-old man who sexually assaulted a woman on a popular trail in North Vancouver last year could spend between three and four months behind bars, if the Crown gets its way.

Jairus-Paul Covacha Sacramento appeared in provincial court on Monday for a sentencing hearing regarding the Feb. 13, 2022, incident in Lynn Canyon Park, in which the victim said he grabbed her buttocks from behind.

In addition to as many as 120 days of jail time, the Crown is arguing for 18 months of probation, claiming Sacramento has minimized his actions, and lacks understanding and remorse.

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The defense is seeking a two-year conditional discharge for the first-time offender, with 50 hours of community service, mandatory counselling, restrictions on his drug and alcohol consumption, and other provisions.

Both Sacramento and the victim declined to speak with Global News outside the courthouse.

In a statement read aloud in court, the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, said she still has panic attacks at night as a result of the assault.

“I went from being my best to being a shell of myself,” she said, adding she has suffered financially and professionally as well. “Nature is where I find peace and this was taken away from me.”

The woman was walking on the Varley Trail in the afternoon when she said the perpetrator grabbed her from behind. She filmed him walking away with her cell phone, and in that video, she can be seen chasing him and shouting, “What makes you think it’s okay to smack me in the ass? Turn around!”

Sacramento appeared to try to shield his face from view, and when confronted about the alleged groping, responded on tape, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He attempted to knock the phone down several times, and the woman told him she would report the incident to North Vancouver RCMP.

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Sacramento apologized for his actions in court on Monday but claimed the victim is “exaggerating what happened.” He was high on cannabis at the time of the assault and said he wasn’t in his “right mind.”

“It’s not even possible for me to touch her so aggressively in broad daylight,” Sacramento said, in part.

“I don’t see why I’m actually being targeted so aggressively. The truth is I didn’t attack her at all … I literally just tapped her on the butt.”

He said he feels the conviction has “completely ruined” his reputation and he didn’t mean to hurt anyone.

His pre-sentencing report states that he had intended to “pick up” a woman on his way home that day and had a prepared pickup line ready. It further states he suggested the victim was “crazy,” engaged in victim-blaming, and suggested the victim would have liked it if she were younger and wearing revealing clothes.

Sacramento is deemed at moderate risk to reoffend.

A sentencing decision is slated for Dec. 14.

Editor’s Note: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the Crown was seeking nine to 12 months behind bars for Sacramento. In fact, it was 90 to 120 days. Global News regrets the error.