Cape Breton man gets stiff sentence for sexual assault

SYDNEY, N.S. – It’s one of the toughest sentences ever issued in Cape Breton for convictions of sexual assault.

Robert Budge, 63, formerly of Sydney, was given a 10-year prison term Monday after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual assault and single counts of sexual touching and exposure.

Budge must submit a DNA sample to the national registry and he is to be a registered sex offender for 20 years.

He is also banned from possessing or owning firearms for life and is not allowed to be where children under 16 are likely to gather or to communicate with anyone under 16 on a computer for life.

The offences involved four female victims, three in Cape Breton and one in Ontario, and were committed between 2000 and 2008.

The most serious was a victim in Cape Breton who was 12 when Budge first began assaulting her.

The assaults began with Budge touching her breasts and led to forced intercourse and oral sex.

"My childhood was ripped apart from the inside out," the victim wrote in an impact statement referred to in court.

The woman, now in her early 20s, said she has low self-esteem and struggles with relationships and experienced depression and antisocial behaviour as a result of the assaults, which were numerous.

Another Cape Breton victim suffered forced intercourse by Budge while the third, who was 17 at the time, was groped.

The Ontario victim was only nine when Budge also began groping her and trying to get her to perform oral sex.

"These are horrific and deeply disturbing crimes," said Crown prosecutor Shane Russell, noting he and defence lawyer Alan Nicholson both recommended a 10-year prison sentence.

In passing sentence, provincial court Judge David Ryan said all too often he sees people coming to court with visible injuries suffered at the hands of an attacker.

"But sometimes we can’t see the hurt," he said. "It is quite apparent that these victims are suffering and suffering significantly because of the hurt you inflicted."

Ryan said there was nothing in the pre-sentence report that indicates Budge shows any signs of remorse.

After the first Cape Breton victim disclosed the abuse to her parents, police secured a warrant for Budge’s arrest but he had left for Ontario, where he continued his assaults.

He fled Ontario as police moved in and showed up in Halifax and was arrested.

Budge has been in custody since his arrest in August 2009 and was given credit for 2 1/2 years.