:.
: pola fas .
: News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222
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IAN BLEASDALE will spend up to three years
: in jail for the sexually-related assaults of [ive

young girls.

Judge R.D. Grandison
sentenced Bleasdale io three
“i years imprisonment on eacti
of 16 counts, with the terfs
*o be served concurrently in
; a federal penitentiary,," in
i court in West Vancouver
Thursday.

“In handing down his deci-
ion, Judge Grandison
recommended that Bleasdale
receive treatment under the
federal sexual offenders
program and be ‘supervised
‘thereafter.’* He also
recommended that Bleasdule
/ not be allawed in the com-
! | pany of a child under 16
j ' years of age, unless he is in
i the presence of at least one
fy a other adult,
Although Bleasdale’s
: | crimes were repugnant, said
Judge Grandison, they were
not as segjious as similar
crimes. Eee ied while
determining sentence, he
h took into account the fact
= that Bleasdale ‘has already
i served over 1] monuhs in jail
: since being arrested.
The charges laid: against

Bleasdale since his arrest in

October, 1983, included 12

counts of indecent assault,
; two counts of sexual assault
i and two counts of gross in-
decency.

‘The. offences included the
touching and fondling of the
victims’ breasts and genital

: areas and involved five dif-
u ferent girls between the ages
of nine and 14 years. All of
the young victims were cither
related to Bleasdale through
marriage or friends of the
family.

. Crown prosecutor Ellen
: Gerber had argued that
Bleasdale be sentenced to
consecutive terms — calling
for a total sentence ranging
from seven to 12 years —
: since the offences involved

five different girls.

However, Judge Gran-
dison disagreed, saying he
felt consecutive sentences

would not be appropriate
since Bleasdale’s offences
comprised ‘a single pattern
of behavior’ over a period
of time.

He noted there was no
force or violence used during
the course of the offences,
but acknowledged there was
no doubt each child was
“emotionally traumatized”
as a result of the incidents.

Added Judge Grandison:

rs

“*Pre-meditation was relative
to each of the cases."'

He stressed Bleasdale must
be made aware that he
would pay for his actions —-
“You need to know this’” —
adding that Bleasdale’s
rehabilitation was desired.

He said additional points,
including the gravity and the
circumstances of the crimes,
as well as the commission of
the crimes, also had to be

considered, along with
precedents of similar or
more serious. crimes and

Bleasdale’s background.

VER

Judge Grandison said the
fact that Bleasdale pleaded
guilty to 14 of the offences
demonstrated a show of
remorse in the convicted
man, however, he admitted
“time will tell’ how deep
Bleasdale’s remorse is.

He added he felt Bleasdale
was not a criminal apart
from the 16 sex-related of-
fences and that he was
capable of rehabilitation.

Following the sentencing, |

‘Crown prosecutor Gerber
‘said, “‘What can I say? He's
‘made his ruling.’’ She added

although she could not say
whether there would be an
appeal of the sentence, that
she intended to file a report
on the matter.

A mother of one of the
victims told the North Shore
News she felt Bleasdale
should have been given the’
maximum sentence Gerber
had called for.

She dismissed Judge
Grandison’s decision to con-
sider precedents of other
crimes when determining the
Bleasdale sentence.

“I feel it’s time judges

were setting their
precedents,’’ she said.

One of Bleasdale’s vic-
tims, present at court during
the sentence proceedings,
said in ax interview she felt
if she had come forward to
authorities at an earlier date,

own

- that some of the other vic-

tims could have been spared.
“ET remember ‘my grand-
mother once saying, ‘If only
someone else had said some-
thing earlier, none of this
would have happened,’ °°
said the girl. “I felt’ this
someone else was me.’’

Mrewter