A former Stettler man who sexually assaulted a stepdaughter suffering from diminished mental capacity was jailed on Thursday.
The man also videotaped his crime.
The 47-year-old man, who can’t be named because it could identify the victim, was sentenced to three and a half years in jail after pleading guilty earlier to sexual exploitation and making child pornography.
He was also sentenced to another five weeks in jail for breaching conditions of a recognizance not to contact the victim, Red Deer provincial court heard.
Several other charges were withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Cheryl Schlecker of Edmonton.
Judge Gordon Deck heard that the girl, who is now 18, was assaulted numerous times between June 2006 and January 2010. She has the mental capacity of a seven- or eight-year-old, court heard.
Schlecker said the agreed statement of facts and the length of sentence were worked out with defence lawyer Ken Sockett of Wetaskiwin.
She said the Crown would have had some issues if it had come to a trial because of the victim’s diminished capacity.
Schlecker said in addition to taking video of sexual acts, the accused also sent her the equivalent of 20 pages of Facebook messages outlining his feelings for the victim.
The accused served a previous 90 days in jail after pleading guilty shortly after Christmas to contacting the victim and then being found in a hotel room with her.
The most recent breach occurred just a few minutes after Deck issued an order in Stettler court on April 19 to vary conditions for the accused while on release.
The judge heard the accused sent the victim text messages on a disposable cellphone literally minutes after signing that order.
The accused also had his name placed on a Canada-wide sex offender registry for life and must surrender a sample of his DNA.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com