SQLFusion - Molester jailed on weekends

Molester jailed on weekends

Ottawa Sun

05 July 2008

By MEGAN GILLIS, COURT BUREAU

A Barrhaven man who molested a five-year-old at his wife's home daycare will serve his 90-day jail sentence on weekends and other than going to work, will spend the rest of his time at home.

Robert Randall, 57, stood and turned to address the anguished parents of the little girl -- whom he fondled and made to watch him masturbate -- before Justice David Wake imposed sentence.

"I have tried to come up with something that would ease the pain, the suffering and the revulsion," the bald, bulky Statistics Canada bureaucrat told them.

"I don't think I can do that. Maybe some day you will understand what happened. My actions have hurt you deeply and for that I will always be sorry."

Randall, who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sex exploitation by a person in a position of trust, will be under house arrest during the week while he serves his sentence on weekends. He works as a LAN administrator at StatsCan.

After he's done, he'll serve a 15-month conditional sentence, including seven months of strict house arrest, be added to the sex-offender registry for a decade and have to submit a DNA sample to the national registry.

He can't go to parks or playgrounds alone or work with kids.

Randall admitted that in the fall of 2006 -- while his wife was out -- he twice fondled the girl's genitals, more than once masturbated to ejaculation in front of her, then, she said, sent her to fetch a tissue and asked her if she wanted a "rub."

The Crown had asked for a year in jail.

He is remorseful and has no record, poses a low risk of reoffending, according to psychiatrists, and confessed when the little girl told her mother, Wake said.

A longer jail sentence would have cost him his job and Randall and his wife have already suffered financially from the loss of her daycare business, Wake said.

The little girl has a loving family who will help her overcome the effects of the abuse, the judge said.

Randall, who blames depression for his crime, told the court he was grateful he'd been caught because it got him the help he needed.

He also addressed the parents of the other children at the daycare.

"I understand your anguish," he said. "You don't know if something happened to your children or not.

"I can assure you ... that your children were not involved."

Sex offender to serve 90 days on weekends

Ottawa Citizen

Published: Friday, 04 July 04 2008

Geoff Nixon

OTTAWA - A Barrhaven man is to serve three months in jail for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl who was being looked after in his residence as part of his wife's home daycare service.

Robert Randall, 57, was sentenced Friday for crimes he committed nearly two years ago.

First to police, and later in court, he admitted to rubbing the girl's genitals twice and masturbating in front of her more than once in 2006. The abuses occurred when Mr. Randall's wife was not present, and each time, he told the girl not to talk about what had happened. The girl eventually told her parents.

Mr. Randall previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault.

Prior to receiving his sentence, Mr. Randall was given an opportunity to address the parents of the victim.

"For two years now, I've tried to come up with something that would ease the pain, the suffering and the revulsion," began Mr. Randall, dressed in a dark-red shirt and black pants.

He also told the victim's parents that it is his hope that "as time goes by, your lives will get on track," and that one day they "will understand what happened."

Mr. Randall apologized for his actions, which he noted deeply hurt both the victim and her family. He also mentioned losing the trust of his wife "for a long period of time" and causing the end of her business: the home daycare she "loved and gave all her heart to."

At one point he said he was grateful for what had happened, because it "got me to the help I needed."

He finished with three barely audible words: "I am sorry."

Following Mr. Randall's words, Justice David Wake went over the aggravating factors he had weighed in coming to a decision on a sentence: The gravity of the abuse, the pain the victim and her parents have suffered, and the age of the victim. He also made mention of the statements the victim's parents read in court on Wednesday.

"The effect of their articulate sentiments is gripping," Judge Wake said.

Among the mitigating factors in the case, Judge Wake noted that Mr. Randall has no prior criminal record, he confessed to his crimes when first contacted by police, and he has shown remorse and has sought treatment from medical professionals.

In the end, Judge Wake ordered

Mr. Randall to serve 90 days in jail on weekends (allowing him to keep his job at Statistics Canada), followed by a 15-month conditional sentence, subject to strict conditions. He will also be required to complete 60 hours of community service, provide a DNA sample to police and be registered as a sex offender for the next 10 years.

In a telephone interview late Friday afternoon, the victim's mother said she was disappointed with the sentence given to Mr. Randall, and was offended by his remarks in court.

Having the man who victimized her daughter serve only 90 days in jail "doesn't seem adequate," she said.

However, the victim's mother said she and her husband were "pleased" that Mr. Randall would become a registered sex offender, as the designation might prevent other children from falling victim to "this man's behaviour."

gnixon@thecitizen.canwest.com

'I feel an incredible guilt ... I failed my daughter,' father says

The Ottawa Citizen

Thursday, 03 July 2008

Geoff Nixon

Parents of a young girl who was sexually assaulted by her daycare provider's husband took the stand yesterday to give statements about the way the abuse had affected their family.

Their daughter was only five years old when she told her parents she had been inappropriately touched at her daycare provider's Nepean home almost two years ago.

A police investigation found that her daycare provider's husband had rubbed the girl's genitals and masturbated in front of her on more than one occasion. The abuses occurred when the man's wife was not present, and each time, the man told the girl not to talk about what had happened.

Robert (Bob) Randall, 57, has since pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual exploitation and one of sexual assault.

The girl's mother spoke to the court first, fighting back tears throughout her statement.

She said her daughter is "too young to understand and communicate the full impact of the crimes," but that there will come a day when she will. And no matter how hard her daughter -- and her family -- try to move on from what has happened, the mother said, "this will never be behind us."

Both parents said they thoroughly vetted the daycare before choosing it for their daughters. As parents, they have not only suffered as a result of learning the details of the abuse against their elder daughter, but also from the guilt of having put their children in harm's way, the father said. "I feel an incredible guilt ... that I failed my daughter," he said.

Justice David Wake said he will pronounce Mr. Randall's sentence, which had been expected yesterday, tomorrow morning.

gnixon@thecitizen.canwest.com