North Okanagan man found guilty of sexual assault five years after offense – Vernon News

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A North Okanagan man was found guilty of sexual assault about five years later while both he and the victim were in high school.

In a ruling last month by provincial court Judge David Patterson, the perpetrator was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with a person under 16 years of age.

Both the perpetrator and the only victim in the case cannot be named due to a publication ban to protect the identity of minors.

According to court documents, the charges stemmed from four separate incidents in the fall of 2019, when the victim was in 9th grade and the perpetrator was in 11th grade.

The victim was 13 years old during the first three incidents, which involved the pair walking on a path near their school. The perpetrator kissed and touched the victim’s body and allowed them to touch him as well.

The victim turned 14 before the latest incident where the couple went down the same path and the perpetrator attempted to undress the victim, touched them sexually and pressured them to touch him sexually as well.

Patterson noted in his judgment that the victim continued to walk the path with the perpetrator because he was young and immature.

“Going with him seemed the safest thing to do in the environment and context of the school environment, as well as the concern about the spread of rumors that could destroy one’s social reputation,” the verdict reads.

Patterson found that the victim did not consent to the sexual interactions at any time and attorneys proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt, as required.