Man sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for sexually abusing his granddaughters and sodomy

FORT ST. JOHN —
WARNING: This story contains graphic details of sexual abuse and animal abuse.

A 79-year-old man from the Peace Region was sentenced to seven and a half years in a federal prison following an August 2023 conviction for child sexual abuse and zoophilia.

The case was heard in a courtroom in Fort St. John.

The man, identified only as “Mr. M” to protect the victims’ identities, was found guilty of four counts of solicitation of sexual contact and one count of zoophilia.

The court heard the victim’s statements describing events between 2004 and 2013 involving his three grandchildren who were in his care.

“I know from your stories that this is difficult, but I hope that in due time you will be able to put this process behind you and move on with your life,” said the Honorable Judge Walker, reflecting on the courage of the victim’s testimony.

Court documents show that the man sexually abused the three victims, who were between the ages of four and nine at the time.

He is also said to have forced one of the victims to watch pornography and masturbate in front of another.

An incident involving a dog led to a conviction for animal cruelty.

According to court documents, the man lured the dog to the victim’s genitals with butter and forced the dog’s snout onto the child.

The prosecution is demanding a nine-year prison sentence.

The judge ultimately decided to impose a prison sentence of seven and a half years, less time already served, plus psychological programs and services imposed by a probation officer.

The man will also be registered as a sex offender for the next 20 years and will not be allowed to be around children under the age of 16 without supervision by an adult associated with the young person.