‘ Monster’ dad’s abuse devastates family

Man who molested two daughters ‘ was supposed to be their hero’

A Calgary sex offender sat quietly in court Thursday as his ex- wife and two daughters read poignant victim impact statements at his sentencing hearing.

“My hate for you knows no bounds,” the man’s former spouse said, looking at him as he sat with his eyes closed in a provincial court prisoner’s box.

“I know you want forgiveness,” the woman continued. “Don’t hold your breath.” The man, 40, earlier admitted to raping and forcing his two daughters to participate in other sexual acts over a period of years.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual interference of a child under 16 as well as sexual assault on his older daughter, who he continued to abuse after she reached that age.

The wife told court their family was devastated by his conduct, which he managed to hide from her until the girls told her about the abuse on April 12, 2014.

“The day my world ended, the day my soul got obliterated,” the wife said.

“Never could I imagine the monster that was in my house, sleeping in my bed,” she said.

She said the pain was exacerbated by the fact her daughters somehow blamed themselves for their father’s behaviour.

“They felt responsible for your atrocities — poor defenceless babies taking responsibility for your depravity,” she said, as the courtroom gallery, which included a large contingent from Bikers Against Child Abuse, listened.

“A man who was supposed to be their hero — some hero.”

Both girls also addressed the court.

“Countless times I have cried myself to sleep,” the younger daughter, now 14, said.

“You were the one that was in the wrong, I was always told I was doing something wrong,” she said.

“People ask if I’m OK, I say yes, but really, no, I’m not.”

The older daughter, now 18, began weeping as she struggled to read her statement.

“A father is a man who is supposed to protect you,” she said.

“Your father is supposed to be the one man you can trust.”

Crown prosecutor Rose Greenwood read in a lengthy statement of agreed facts detailing the years of abuse, which often accompanied bribes for sexual favours.

The older girl was first abused when she was nine, while her sister was first molested at four, or five.

Greenwood suggested a prison term of 10 years for the father, who remains free on bail.

Defence counsel John Hooker suggested a range of 61/2 to eight years.

Judge Ken McLeod will sentence the offender on June 10.