A former Kelowna youth pastor has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after pleading guilty to two sex crimes.
While the man was previously charged with 17 criminal offences, he struck a plea deal with the Crown, pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of telecommunicating to lure a child under 18 on what was meant to be the first day of his trial.
Castanet is not naming the convicted man, instead referring to him as CM, as his identity could lead to the identification of his victims who are protected under a publication ban. CM are not his actual initials.
The man worked at a local church for many years until allegations surfaced in 2020.
The Crown had been seeking a combined two-year prison sentence while the pastor's defence lawyer argued for a non-custodial conditional sentence of two years less a day.
Wednesday afternoon, Judge Lisa Wyatt said the accused must serve a jail sentence, based on precedent and aggravating factors in the case. She sentenced CM to 12 months for luring and six months on the sexual assault charge, to be served consecutively.
The judge described how CM had sent pictures of his penis to one teenaged boy and requested the youth send him similar pictures. In the other case, CM reached into the shorts of a teen boy and touched his penis while the two were watching TV.
The judge noted that the accused was in a position of trust, acting as a youth pastor and mentor to the two victims. She also noted that the man had, to some degree, tried to minimize the offences by saying he was "just joking around and trying to fit in."
The judge also took into account mitigating factors included his guilty plea and cooperation with police. He was assessed as a low to medium risk to reoffend.
“However, these offences were more than just a brief lapse in judgement,” said Judge Wyatt, pointing out that they happened years apart. she said that he “betrayed the trust they placed in him as a youth leader.”
CM must serve two years probation upon his release. He has been ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 16 over that time span. He also must submit a DNA sample and be listed on the sex offender registry for 20 years.
