LETHBRIDGE, AB – **** WARNING: This story contains graphic sexual details ****
A Lethbridge man guilty of three charges related to sexual offences against a minor has learned his fate.
In Lethbridge Court of Queens Bench Friday, Gary Lippa, 40, was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
The Incidents:
At the time that the offences began in 2017, he was 36 years old while the girl was just 13.
Lippa was a long-time family friend who knew the girl since she was a baby. The two often referred to each other as uncle and niece.
The presiding judge ruled that Lippa had been “grooming” the victim for sexual contact for several months before the two met up at his home in August 2017 when the sexual assault took place.
Leading up to this, the two would regularly communicate by phone, text, and video calls. Lippa would often instruct her to take nude photos of her body or touch herself in sexual manners.
He would coach the girl on ways that she could hide their relationship from her family or lie to them about her whereabouts or who she was talking to.
At the time, the girl was of the belief that they truly loved each other and that she wanted to be in a sexual relationship with him.
In September 2017, the girl’s mother learned of the nature of their relationship and immediately reported it to RCMP.
Her parents had taken her cell phone away and restricted her internet access, but Lippa had purchased a new phone for her in secret so they could continue to communicate.
Lippa was formally charged by ALERT on February 22, 2018.
The Court Process:
All members of the court expressed frustrations with Lippa’s attempts to delay proceedings and being difficult to work with.
After a long delay, he pleaded guilty to sexual assault, child luring, and making child pornography.
Initially, he elected for a judge-and-jury trial.
On what was supposed to be the second day of the trial, Lippa submitted an application to withdraw his guilty plea. After attaining new legal counsel, however, he pleaded guilty again but elected for the matter to be judge-alone.
He refused to fully cooperate with bail officers, failed to attend several meetings for establishing a pre-sentencing report, and admitted to a probation officer that he did not care about complying with his conditions.
The COVID-19 pandemic also presented challenges as the courts were temporarily closed. This resulted in several matters being adjourned by several months.
A forensic analysis was eventually abandoned after a lack of cooperation.
It had previously been reported that he suffered a brain injury as the result of a motor vehicle accident. Lippa has a low-to-average IQ and suffers from a personality disorder.
The forensic analysis would have given more insights into Lippa’s mental state including whether a lack of cognitive ability could have been a contributing factor to the offences.
Victim Impact Statements:
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, court heard the victim impact statements from both the victim and her stepmother.
The victim, now 17, immediately started to cry as she recalled the events, her relationship with Lippa, and how it has affected her.
Her father helped her to read her statement, saying that she is scared that Lippa might hurt her, her friends, or her family sometime in the future.
She admitted to feeling nervous any time another boy would approach her.
During her relationship with Lippa, she lost several friends and strained her relationship with some of her family members.
Her stepmom stated that the entire family has suffered “enormous” emotional impacts. She was terrified that Lippa might try to take revenge on her stepdaughter or those she cares about.
This matter has also caused financial stress for the family, as the stepmother explained that she often has to stay home to ensure that there is always an adult at their house, while also paying for a therapist for the victim.
Sentencing:
The crown and defense presented two differing sentencing options for the judge to consider.
The crown sought a global sentence of four years while the defense had asked for 30-36 months.
Both agreed that, due to time already served in pre-sentencing custody, Lippa should get 7.5 months of credit.
In the end, the judge sided with the crown. Lippa’s sentence is as follows:
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