Sentencing in the trial of Craigslist sexual assault

The last person charged in the disgusting sexual assault of a 7 year old Hamilton girl is awaiting his fate after standing trial yesterday. While he admits to assaulting the young girl, he fought back accusations that he knew the act was being filmed for online consumption.

He is denying allegations that he knew his friend was recording him sexually assaulting a 7-year old girl in April of 2016.

In order to protect the girl’s identity, neither men have been named.

The man’s friend was dating the young girl’s mother at the time of the assault. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in February for sexually assaulting the child repeatedly and inviting other pedophiles to join via Craigslist. The abuse took place for over a year.

The Crown says there’s no way the defendant didn’t know he was being filmed seeing that his friend was capturing the incident with the light on just inches away from him but he says he was too drunk and high on cocaine to have noticed.

On August 28th, the judge is set to make a decision whether the man is guilty of making child porn. That along with sexual assault, which he admitted to last Monday, carry sentences ranging from 1 to 14 years.

This trial has been going on for over two years, so long that one of the previously convicted are already out on parole. Last week, John Ghallager was granted day parole, he served 18 months of his three and a half year sentence, it’s a development that doesn’t sit well with the victim’s family.

“I was shocked that he was going to be released to that halfway house in Hamilton. It’s awful, this has been 2.5 years of sheer hell for me and my family anyone else who had to listen to the horrific details, so one is getting released and another hasn’t even been sentenced yet.”

Five people in total have been charged in connection with these crimes. Along with the girl’s primary attacker, Rui Da Silva and Sonya Lucas, both of Kitchener Waterloo, are serving eight and eight and a half years sentences respectively for their participation in the girl’s abuse.

The aunt of the girl says she’s doing better now that she’s living with her biological father and is looking forward to attending summer camp. However, while this chapter in her family’s life is coming to a close, she says she can’t help but think that the same type of abuse continues to happen to other young children.