Women relay trauma of sexual assaults at the hands of Raymond, Alta. man in court

The victims of a 52-year-old Raymond man convicted of sexually assaulting two girls in the 1980s and 1990s shared their victim impact statements in court Friday.

In 2016, a woman came forward to RCMP saying she was sexually abused as a child by a man known to her, and charges were subsequently laid.

Both women were underage at the time of the assaults, so their names cannot be released due to a court-ordered publication ban to protect their identities.

In a tearful victim impact statement read Friday, one woman said, “It is quite clear that you have no remorse for the irreversible harm you have caused…

“I have not and will not ever forget the disgusting acts that you performed on me.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I have not and will not ever forget the disgusting acts that you performed on me."

During Friday’s proceedings, defence referenced the Jordan decision, which requires 30 months between the charges and the trial in a provincial court without preliminary inquiry.

However, under the context of delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the application was denied.

The defence requested that the defendant be charged “as if this were 1987, and he was 18 years old,” asking for a lenient sentence.

Defence argued that moral culpability was impacted by age and by a religious background that limited discussion about consent and sex, also noting his remorse and his rehabilitation through work in the community over the past 30 years.

However, the Crown argued that he was proven to be a disciplined person capable of suppressing impulses and maintaining responsibility, through his character references, achievements and trusted community roles.

In addition, the Crown stated the defendant has testified that he knew his actions were wrong, and had continued to abuse one of the victims despite being asked to stop.

The Crown asked for a sentence of five to seven years, as it would not be about rehabilitation or separating a dangerous offender from society, but rather about the principle of denouncing sex abuse against children.

Sentencing is scheduled to take place in less than three weeks on September 17.