B.C. man jailed for making child porn with daughters, their friends

A Surrey man who sexually abused his own daughters and four other young girls was given a 13 1/2-year sentence Wednesday.

The 36-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect his victims, pleaded guilty to 11 charges including incest, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and making, possessing and distributing child pornography.

All seven victims were under 10 years old.

The man's sentence will be reduced by one year as credit for six months served in pre-trial custody.

Judge Michael Hicks took nearly an hour to read a lengthy, detailed and often horrifying account of the outrages the prisoner perpetrated on the children. He photographed and recorded his assaults on the girls and shared the images over the Internet with four other men in Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and Canada.

The men, Hicks said, carried on a perverted competition among themselves, subjecting children to sexual abuse.

Hicks said the accused was "relentless and calculating" as he "groomed" the children to participate in his twisted acts. He worked nights and his wife worked days, giving him the opportunity to abuse his daughters and their friends when they came to the family apartment.

A pre-sentencing psychiatric assessment judged the man to be at high risk to reoffend against children and found he was more concerned about what would happen to him than what he had done to the girls.

"He believed he was not harming them because he did not force them and because he made it into a game," Hicks said, adding the man described his actions as "naughty fun."

Sentences aren't intended to exact revenge, Hicks said, but such offences against children must be punished appropriately.

"Sexual crimes against children are acts of violence," he said. "The victims are defenceless."

After the sentence was read, a sheriff's deputy took the man away.

Outside the courtroom, the convicted man's mother leaned on a friend's arm as she walked away in tears. Not far behind, the mother of one the victims exited with a companion, shedding tears of her own.

Prosecutor Paul Sandhu, who interrupted a vacation to return for the hearing, said he was satisfied with the sentence.

"It's not harsh, it's fit and appropriate," he said, adding that this case was the worst he's ever worked on in 16 years as defender and Crown counsel.

"I never want to see this again."

jensaltman@theprovince.com