Sentencing is underway in Penticton provincial court for a former Summerland lifeguard known by children as “Eddie Spaghetti” after the man pleaded guilty to four child sex-related crimes.
Edward Casavant, 55, was arrested last spring and originally charged with 10 offences relating to sex crimes against children between 2008 and 2014.
On July 25, 2019, Casavant pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, secretly observing/recording nudity in a private place, sexual exploitation of a person with a disability and making or publishing child pornography.
The judge accepted a joint sentencing submission from defence and Crown on Monday and sentenced Casavant to a six-year prison term less time served.
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Credit for time already served in pre-trial custody is one year.
In handing down her sentence, justice Monica McParland said she had to consider the early guilty pleas that not only avoided what she called a lengthy and complex trial, but spared the young victims from having to testify and relive the traumatic events.
At the time of his arrest, police said Casavant had been employed as a lifeguard for more than 30 years, beginning in the late 1980s.
Investigators said he used his position of trust to gain access to school-aged children.
Casavant also volunteered as a lifeguard at various local summer camps and other community events, and RCMP said he may have had access to children in this capacity.
His employment at the Summerland Aquatic Centre came to an end shortly after the police investigation began.
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