What do you think?? The phrase at the end says the offender was excommunicated from his church.... http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=c84188df-2d00-4f2d-a466-aecbee309c39 Babysitter admits molesting little boy
| Sandra McCulloch | |
| Times Colonist |
Friday, January 17, 2003
|
A 52-year-old Langford man was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years' probation Thursday after pleading guilty to sexual assault of an eight-year-old boy he was babysitting.
William Elder is a pedophile and should not be allowed to serve his sentence in the community even under strict conditions, Judge Ernie Quantz ruled in Western Communities provincial court.
Elder is banned for life from being around children under age 14. He cannot go to parks, swimming areas or any public place where children are likely to be. He also is banned from using a computer system to communicate with children.
Police seized 6,600 pornographic images, many involving children, from Elder's residence following his arrest March 9 last year.
Elder attended church with a couple who often asked him to watch their two sons, ages eight and 11. The couple left the boys with Elder on March 8 as they left for an overnight trip to Seattle.
The boys saw Elder viewing pornography on his computer. He threatened to beat them if they told anyone, said prosecutor Georgia Williams.
On three separate occasions during the stay, Elder kissed the eight-year-old boy on the lips and then, as the boy sat on his lap watching television, Elder fondled the child's genitals.
The boy struggled to remove Elder's hand, and the older boy came to assist. The younger boy spent the rest of the time close by his older brother for protection, said Williams.
When the parents returned from their trip, the children told them what had happened.
The younger boy told police that Elder on other occasions had climbed into bed with him as he slept, and fondled his genitals.
The older boy expressed puzzlement to police that his brother always sat on Elder's lap while a big couch nearby was unoccupied.
The boys reported Elder taking photos of them. One of the photos seized from Elder's residence depicted the younger boy exposing his genitals while his brother lay on the floor watching television.
The parents were completely unaware of Elder's pedophilia when they used him as a babysitter, Williams said.
The father met Elder eight years ago when Elder worked as a custodian at Marigold school. In a victim-impact statement read in court, the father said "We always thought the kids were safe" with Elder.
But two years ago, the boys began having behavioural problems. The young one wet his pants and would run from teachers at school. He'd show reluctance to go into public washrooms alone.
"Even now the boys won't go to bed unless I'm home," said the father.
When he found out that Elder was abusing his sons, "I was just sick -- I felt I'd let them down as a father.
"I have so much hatred for Bill ... Bill has changed my family's lives forever. We will never forget the pain and suffering he caused."
The mother said the boys were terrified to tell of the abuse because they had been threatened with physical harm if they told. She said the younger son "felt he wasn't worth anything and he was going to get a gun and shoot himself.
"Bill took away the innocence of my children."
Elder worked for the Greater Victoria school district as a custodian and as a truck driver. The district suspended him without pay when he was charged in March.
He told a psychologist that his first sexual experience with an adult occurred when he was six years old. He now calls himself "a sexual addict" and admits to a strong interest in pornography.
Williams asked for Elder to serve either 10 months in jail or two years on a conditional service order -- doing his time in the community under strict conditions.
Defence lawyer David Lyon said Elder accepts that his sexual deviancy is a lifelong condition and that he must learn to control himself. He said Elder is remorseful and has seen a counsellor.
"Mr. Elder recognizes the life he was living before ... was a lie," said Lyon. "He's determined not to let that happen again."
Elder has been married twice, but is divorced now. He has been excommunicated from his church, Lyon said.
Terms of his probation include not associating with anyone under the age of 19. He must get employment counselling and is prohibited from possessing pornography and firearms.
Copyright 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria)