Cornwall Standard Freeholder

25 November 2009

 Posted By DAVID NESSETH  

A former army cadet officer has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for sexually assaulting five adolescent male cadets over a period of more than 20 years.  

The 55-year-old offender, whose name is under a publication ban, pled guilty to three counts of gross indecency in May.  

He admitted to fondling, fellatio and simulated sex acts with the cadets, aged 13 to 16.  

"He stood in a position of authority and used that authority to his advantage...," said Judge Peter Adams, who noted the cadet officer took away the consent required to form a relationship.  

The former cadet officer was responsible for issuing uniforms to army cadet corps members at the Cornwall Armouries. He was also involved as a band instructor.  

Judge Adams read excerpts from some of the victim impact statements given to the court.  

One victim would later become a child youth worker, but could not put the past behind him and eventually had to change professions.  

On occasion, he said, he's had to deal with the anger from seeing the offender in public, which makes him "sick".  

"His fantasies came at the expense of others," wrote the victim, who says counseling hasn't healed his wounds.  

The Crown had sought a sentence of three to three-and-a-half years.  

The offender also pled guilty Tuesday to an incident of sexual abuse that took place in 1970, when the former officer was approximately 15 years old. An additional three months was added to his 27-month adult sentence, which covered abuses over the period of 1974 to 1976.  

Mitigating factors in the sentence included, but aren't limited to, the historical nature of the offences, the offender's lack of criminal record, and relatively favourable probation and sexual assessment reports.  According to a hospital report, the former cadet officer is rated a medium-low risk to reoffend. 

NOTHING CHANGES IN THIS CITY SAME OLD SAME OLD BULL S.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #1 By what justice,

More than 2 years, makes it sound like a life sentence. Our criminal justice system isn't very just at all. Makes me sick

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #2 By majekin, 1

He has ruined the lives of how many young people who will never ever forget about these atrocious acts committed on them by this sexual pervert. To say that he is "medium to low risk" is nothing but a crock of bull, once a sexual predator always a predator, lock him up for life and castrate this criminal. Of course the bleeding right wingers will say that this is to cruel to do to him.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #3 By rkake,

Also put him into general population, the problem will be rectified very quickly, of course they won't do that, they have to protect him, but no one protected his victims.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #4 By rkake,

Totaly unexceptable.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #5 By luckyred,

How many people actually believe it was only 5?!?! There were only 5 that disclosed, this doesn't mean there weren’t more!

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #6 By cornwallunknown,