By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Coaldale man admits to sexually assaulting teen

Apr 9, 2018 | 1:43 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A 34-year-old Coaldale man is potentially facing a dangerous offender designation, after admitting that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl last year.

Following guilty pleas from Trevor Pritchard to charges of sexual assault and child luring Monday, April 9 – at what was supposed to be the outset of a trial – special prosecutor Donna Spaner gave notice that the Crown would consider seeking a dangerous offender status for Pritchard and asked for the court to order a forensic assessment to help determine a course of action.

The matter was then adjourned to April 18, at which time the Crown and defence will argue whether or not the 60-day assessment at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre in Calgary will be granted.

“If the court orders the assessment, the forensic people will do an in-depth or a deep-dive into their thoughts on the ability to come up with a program or a process that would permit an offender to be managed in the community, following a sentence,” explained Spaner outside the courthouse, before outlining the three options that could come from the assessment. “You could proceed to a regular determinate type of sentencing regime, or alternatively – under part 24 of the Criminal Code [of Canada] – the two other options are long-term offender or dangerous offender.”

A long-term offender (LTO) designation entails conditions that allow authorities to monitor an offender after their release from custody for a maximum of 10-years, similar to a probation order. A dangerous offender designation on the other hand, allows for an offender to receive an indeterminate term of imprisonment in a penitentiary, with parole ineligibility for seven-years.

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“They’re an exception to sentencing for criminal offences in Canada,” said Spaner, discussing the two designations. “In Canada, you sentence people with the hope of rehabilitation and reintegration – and [under] the dangerous-offender and the LTO regime, the sole purpose is to ensure that there’s an ability to protect the community from the offender’s behaviour.”

For an offender to be eligible for either of those options, they need to have at least two prior primary designated offence convictions. As part of her submissions, Spaner informed the court that Pritchard has three prior convictions for sexually assaulting adolescent girls in 2004, 2009 and 2010.

Another trial is still scheduled for this coming November, relating to two alleged victims who came forward after police charged Pritchard in relation to the 15-year-old victim. He faces two counts of sexual assault, two counts of child luring, and one count of possession of child pornography in that case.

Facts of the case

Following Pritchard’s guilty pleas, an agreed statement of facts was provided to the court by the Crown and defence.

It revealed that Pritchard had met the victim on Facebook and that they had been communication via text message. On Jan. 17, 2017, she agreed to meet him in person, believing that he would take her to a job interview. Pritchard instead took the girl to his home in Coaldale, told her, “The interview was not going to happen,” then forced her to participate in various sexual acts. After, he drove her home and said he would kill her if she told anyone.

The girl told her mother about what had happened hours later, and after speaking to police, she was taken to the Chinook Regional Hospital for a sexual assault examination.