A One Arrow First Nation man will serve a 30-month sentence for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Michael Paul had already pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred more than two years ago. In reading his sentence, Justice Turcotte called the crime “a substantial and gross violation of the victim’s physical and sexual integrity.”
In the early morning hours of August 1, 2014, when Paul was 26, he offered the girl a ride in exchange for oral sex. She had just turned 15, days earlier.
Paul stopped his truck close to the One Arrow First Nation, took off the victim’s pants and had sex with her. He then dropped her off at a powwow.
According to Crown prosecutor Wade Rogers, there was no evidence to suggest that Paul forced himself on the girl. He said he believed that there was “coercion,” however.
The girl complained to police, and Paul, who was already in custody for another offence, was arrested the next day.
The Crown was seeking a 30-month sentence. Rogers said he was leaning on the lower end of the sentencing range, given that Paul’s guilty plea had “saved the victim from testifying.”
When Paul completes his sentence, he will have to register as a sex offender for 20 years. He will also have to submit a DNA sample.
For more on this story, please see the Feb. 24 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.
