By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Forensic assessment ordered for Coaldale man following fourth conviction for sexual assault

Apr 18, 2018 | 1:36 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A forensic assessment has been ordered for a 34-year-old Coaldale man, who as of last week, now has four convictions for sexually assaulting adolescent girls.

Trevor Pritchard entered guilty pleas to sexual assault and child luring on Monday, April 9 – admitting that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl early last year.

The 60-day assessment is the first step in sentencing Pritchard, as the Crown prosecutor has said they are considering seeking a dangerous offender designation for him. The order was granted on Wednesday, April 18, by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Rodney Jerke, after the defence consented to the Crown’s request.

The assessment will be conducted at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre and will examine Pritchard’s risk-level and provide insight into whether he can be given a regular sentence or be designated as either a 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.

Week-in-review: Federal Budget, water agreements and success for tourism industry

Apr 20, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 19, 2024

Apr 19, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: April 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

In outlining her application for the assessment, special prosecutor Donna Spaner noted that Pritchard has three prior convictions for sexually assaulting 13-year-old girls (2004, 2009, 2010), in addition to the case currently before the court. In two of the prior cases, and again in the current one, Pritchard first made contact with his victims through social media, which Spaner told the court shows a pattern of luring behaviour. In the 2009 and 2010 cases, he received prison sentences of 30 months and 44 months respectively.

“They’re an exception to sentencing for criminal offences in Canada,” said Spaner, discussing the two designations during a previous court appearance. “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.”

After granting the order, Jerke made a point of noting that if the Crown decides to seek a dangerous offender designation after reviewing the assessment, they will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it is the proper option, calling it “an extremely serious consequence.”

The matter was then adjourned to July 23, at which time they will review the progress of the assessment. Once the assessment has been completed, the Crown will have seven days to decide whether they will seek the consent of the Attorney General of Alberta to launch a dangerous offender application.

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.