Hinton man sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter and child pornography

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A 38-year-old man identified only as “RPA” was convicted of sexually abusing a child and producing child pornography in Hinton between 2016 and 2022.

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Judge Jordan J. Stuffco wrote a decision for the Alberta Court of Justice published in July in the case R vs RPAwhich sentenced the man to 14 years in prison.

“Crimes against children represent the most serious violation of the moral code of our society and require stricter punishment by the justice system,” Stuffco wrote.

Hinton is located in Yellowhead County, approximately 184 kilometers southeast of Whitecourt and 277 kilometers east of Edmonton.

According to Stuffco’s decision, the crimes came to light when Google informed law enforcement that its services were being misused to upload child pornography to the Internet.

Google provided information about the uploader that identified RPA, whose devices were then searched, Stuffco wrote.

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Police found that RPA had sexually abused his daughter for about four years, when she was between four and eight years old, and documented the crimes with videos and photographs.

In 23 incidents between 2017 and 2021, the daughter was filmed naked, wearing underwear labeled “daddy’s girl,” or being sexually abused by RPA, Stuffco wrote.

The victim’s father and mother lived separately and the abuse occurred while he was raising his children.

“It was clear that the perpetrator had committed serious, disturbing crimes,” Stuffco wrote.

“The victim could not say how often she was abused by the perpetrator, but it happened often.”

Stuffco also noted that RPA has collected 7,306 images of child pornography since 2014.

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There is a ban on publishing information that could lead to the identification of the victim.

While the case was originally heard in court, Stuffco wrote that RPA had confirmed guilty pleas to sexual battery and the production and possession of child pornography.

The lawyers proposed that Stuffco be sentenced to 18 years in prison: ten for sexual abuse, six for producing child pornography and two for possession.

In its decision, Stuffco acknowledged that sentencing must be balanced and restrained, even when it comes to the “most heinous conduct”.

In June, Stuffco rejected the recommended 18-year prison sentence and imposed a 14-year prison sentence on RPA. The company promised to provide reasons for this in writing, which have now been published.

Stuffco wrote in its report that RPA came from a “dysfunctional, broken home” and noted that RPA claimed to have been sexually abused as a child, although he had initially denied it.

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A pre-sentence report stated that RPA “demonstrated remorse for his actions” and Stuffco considered the guilty plea an important consideration as it demonstrated responsibility and spared the victim from having to give evidence.

Stuffco compared this case with the sentences imposed in other incest or child pornography cases and concluded that the sentence of 18 years was not appropriate in this case.

While previous cases have resulted in harsh penalties, Stuffco wrote that these cases involved “far more egregious circumstances.”

Stuffco ultimately sentenced RPA to 10 years in prison for sexual harassment.

The four-year prison sentence for producing child pornography would be reduced to three years, in addition to the sentence for sexual abuse.

The prison sentence of two and a half years for possession of child pornography would then be retroactively imposed one year after the other sentences.

The time served at the Edmonton Remand Centre will be reduced by 198 days from the total sentence of 14 years, Stuffco said.

Correction: An earlier version of the caption referred to the production and distribution of child pornography. The offender was convicted for production and possession, not distribution. The Whitecourt Star apologizes for the error.

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