Grandfather found guilty of molesting granddaughter

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This article was published 26/07/2015 (3194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 66-year-old Winnipeg man is facing an automatic jail sentence after being convicted today of sexually abusing his four-year-old granddaughter.

The accused — who can’t be named to protect the identity of the victim — had fought the allegations at trial. But Queen’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey said she had no trouble accepting the disturbing story told by the little girl to her parents, and then police.

“She was an engaged, focused and consistent witness,” McKelvey said in her ruling.

The girl described how she was molested during visits to her grandfather’s house during the spring and summer of 2011. The man’s lawyer had suggested she was mistaken about what happened and that other family members may have influenced her to make bogus claims.

However, the accused never took the witness stand to testify in his own defence.

“There is no evidence these allegations were intentionally placed in (the victim’s) mind,” McKelvey said Monday. “The touching was done for the accused’s sexual gratification or for the purpose of violating the complainant’s sexual integrity.”

At the time of the offences, there was a mandatory minimum 90-day jail sentence in place. That has since been increased to one year. The Crown said they intent to seek a much longer period, likely in excess of two years.

The accused remains free on bail pending sentencing, which isn’t expected to be done until the fall following completion of a court-ordered forensic report.