A Vancouver Provincial Court judge has ordered a man convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse to be jailed for 18 months.
Judge Eugene Jamieson said Jay William Walter Lovell, now 53, showed no remorse and little insight into the offences that started when a girl was 12.
“There was a sexual purpose to his actions,” Jamieson said.
The offences occurred between Nov. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2021.
The judge said the offences occurred in his car or in a basement while Lovell was in a position of care for the child, in a position of trust.
A charge document dated Nov. 8, 2022 said Lovell was charged with sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching.
Jamieson said there were likely fewer than 20 occurrences.
He said as Lovell was about 40 years older than the child, there was a significant power imbalance in the situation.
Jamieson said the victim “has suffered significantly from the offences,” harm she will carry into the future.
The judge said a conditional sentence was not appropriate in the case. In addition to the jail time, Lovell will also serve two years’ probation on his release.
Lovell had pleaded not guilty to both charges Jan. 25, 2023, but convictions were entered Feb. 13, 2024.
Glacier Media has chosen not to publish how Lovell came into contact with the girl as it might breach the publication ban on revealing information that might identify her.
