CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - A 67-year-old Calgary man was sentenced Wednesday to one year of house arrest for charges of attempted rape and indecent assault dating back to the 1970s.
Leonard Green appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown for sentencing after his case was adjourned earlier in the week.
In October, Douglas found Green guilty of attempted rape and indecent assault of a girl who was nine years old at the time.
Green committed the offences in P.E.I.
Douglas said with the conditional sentence Green wouldn’t pose a danger to the community and it complies with the principles of sentencing.
During Monday’s proceedings, the court heard from the victim who spoke on a video about the impact Green’s abuse had on her throughout her life.
The woman said Green destroyed her sense of self-worth and taught her that she didn’t matter.
As he delivered his decision on the sentence Wednesday, Douglas said the abuse of children is near or at the top of the ladder of public abhorrence of crimes.
Douglas said the impact of the abuse followed the victim her entire life.
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Reviewing the factors in the case, Douglas said a judge can’t ignore the particular circumstances of an offender and the offences when determining a sentence.
In Green’s case, he was 21 at the time and still living at home after dropping out of school at the age of 13 to work with his father.
That could suggest a lower level of moral blameworthiness, Douglas said.
Green had no criminal record at the time or since the offences.
Douglas said Green had a positive pre-sentence report that suggested there was no need for specific deterrence, rehabilitation or fear of risk to re-offend.
Green has several health problems, including blockages in all his arteries, arrhythmia and diabetes.
Douglas said physical health is a factor the court should consider in sentencing an offender.
As part of the conditional sentence, Green will have to stay in his home at all times unless he has approval from his supervisor.
He will be on probation for one year after his sentence ends, during which time he is banned from contact with anyone younger than 16 unless he has adult supervision or his probation officer gives approval.
Green must also provide a DNA sample for the national databank and his name will go on the national sex offender registry.
