ManitobaA Manitoba man whose partner found out about the sexual abuse of their daughters has been slapped with a 12-year jail sentence. The man pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual interference inside a provincial courtroom last month after more than a decade of abusing his daughter and stepdaughter.’Offender persisted with his pattern of grooming leading to reprehensible abuse,’ judge writesCBC News · Posted: Dec 01, 2025 8:03 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A Manitoba provincial court judge handed a man a 12-year jail sentence last month for sexually abusing his daughter and stepdaughter over a period that lasted more than a decade. (Jaison Empson/CBC) WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it. A Manitoba man whose partner found out about his sexual abuse of their daughters has been slapped with a 12-year jail sentence.The man pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual interference inside a provincial courtroom on Nov. 19 after more than a decade of prolonged abusing his daughter and stepdaughter, according to a written decision. He cannot be named due to a publication ban.Provincial court Judge Denis Guénette described the man’s sexual abuses, which were committed toward his daughter from 2013 to 2019, and against his stepdaughter from 2019 until late 2023, in his decision.“The offender persisted with his pattern of grooming leading to reprehensible abuse for more than a decade, and he did so in relation to two vulnerable children for whom he was a parent and therefore in the highest possible position of trust,” the judge wrote.The man turned himself into police on Dec. 16, 2023 — the same day his partner found out about his abuse and kicked him out of the house, per court documents.He had not been part of his daughter’s life until she started asking questions of her mother about him when she was nine years old. The couple dated briefly, but then broke up, and it was only after their split she learned she was pregnant with their daughter.The couple reconnected and the man eventually moved into the home, which included another daughter that the mother had. She eventually became his stepdaughter.The sexual abuse began with his daughter when she was 10 or 11 years old, and continued for a period of seven years until she was 17. The abuser eventually began to give her money to perform some of the sex acts, according to the decision.“She says there was a point when she started standing up for herself, to which he reacted by telling her if she co-operated he would not touch her stepsister. The daughter thus continued to suffer the abuse, believing she was protecting her younger sibling,” Guénette wrote.The man broke the “twisted promise” to his daughter when he started to sexually abuse her stepsister around late spring 2019. She was 10 years old when the abuse began, starting mostly on weekends, “but it sometimes also happened during the week when her mother was at work.”The girl didn’t perceive that her stepfather’s actions were inappropriate, but she started to tell her friends as she became increasingly more uncomfortable.They suggested she tell her mom about the abuse, which she did the same day her stepfather was told to leave the household, the decision says.The abuser turned himself into police, admitting the crimes against his daughter but electing not to reveal any information pertaining to the sexual abuse of his stepdaughter.He was formally arrested in February 2024 and arrested again in July of that year after his stepdaughter provided a statement of the the sexual abuse he had inflicted upon her.The man pleaded guilty to two offences in March of this year.Impact on daughterIn her victim impact statement, the abuser’s daughter said the abuse she endured has led to “upheaval” and “destruction” in her life.“She has unbearable numbing emotional pain, feels a significant sense of betrayal, has suffered eating disorders, experiences self-loathing, and harbours deep hatred for her father,” Guénette wrote.The abuser’s lawyer contended that a shorter sentence should have been handed down to his client for his co-operation with authorities.But the judge sided with the Crown, handing seven- and five-year consecutive sentences for the man’s sexual abuse toward his daughter and stepdaughter, respectively, the decisions says.“Psychological harms are to be recognized, and they need not be measured solely according to the scope of physical invasiveness or harms,” the judge wrote. “A parent’s ongoing sexual abuse of their child is significant, and incudes the damage caused to the child from the fact it is their own parent who was the abuser.”Guénette has ordered the man register as a sex offender for 20 years following his release from prison. For the first 15 years, he will be banned from places where children under the age of 16 are present.If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. If you’re affected by family or intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services.
Manitoba man handed 12-year jail term for sexually abusing daughter, stepdaughter
