A 74-year-old Shuswap pastor who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl he had befriended through the church has been handed a sentence far below what the Crown sought.

Yesterday, May 5, at the Salmon Arm courthouse, Pastor William Paul Paquette, who goes by the name Paul, avoided a jail cell after court heard how his actions had a devastating effect on the young woman’s life.

The court heard how the victim – whose name is covered under a court-ordered publication ban – was rejected and alienated by the church when she reported the sexual assault.

  • @Cybermass
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    21 year ago

    Damn this is really close to me, very sad to hear. I would be willing to bet money that the girl is native and that’s why nothing was done, it’s a far too common tale in Canada.

  • @DevCatOPM
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    11 year ago

    Of course, the church alienated her. They can’t have somebody pointing out their flaws, now, can they?