Sault man gets 7 years for sexually abusing young girl

David Willard McKinnon was sentenced Friday to seven years imprisonment in a federal penitentiary for dated sexual abuse offences.

The prison term was jointly recommended by prosecutor Heidi Mitchell and defence lawyer Bruce Willson at a sentencing hearing earlier this week.

When he imposed the sentence, Superior Court Justice Ian McMillan called it within the range and "not unreasonble given the circumstances."

He cited the aggravating factors, including the grooming of the victim, the intrusiveness and frequency of the acts, and the collateral threats of violence.

The judge found the 64-year-old Sault Ste. Marie man guilty of five offences in March, following a trial that took place in January.

McKinnon was convicted of sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, touching a person under the age of 14 for a sexual purpose, invitation to sexual touching and threatening.

He was sentenced to seven years for the sexual assault, and seven-year concurrent terms for the other offences.

The offences occurred between the early 1990s and early 2000s.

A publication ban prohibits reporting any information that could identify the victim.

McMillan noted the focus in such a sentencing should be on the harm caused to the child and the consequences that flowed from it.

The woman testified at the trial about the "devastating" effects of the abuse that continue to impact her and from which she "very well may never recover," he said.

Acknowledging the seven-year global sentence could have been somewhat longer, McMillan said he couldn't conclude it is contrary to the public interest or would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

In addition to the prison time, McKinnon must register as a sex offender for life and provide a DNA sample for the national database.

The judge also imposed a 10-year weapons prohibition, and ordered him not to communicate with the complainant while he is incarcerated.

EDITOR'S NOTE: SooToday does not permit comments on court stories