A former Pitt Meadows city councillor was sentenced to nine months in jail for the sexual assault of a minor that occurred in 1992.

David Murray, who resigned from his position at city hall following his conviction in October, was handed his sentence in court Wednesday morning.

As the judge delivered her sentence, she said it appeared Murray was "grooming" his victim ahead of the assault.

Following his time in custody, he will spend three years on probation with conditions including that he can't go to Pitt Meadows. He's permitted to pass through on his way to another destination, but can't stop in the city.

The defence asked for a six-month conditional sentence, while the Crown asked for nine to 12 months in jail.

Murray declined to comment, and was led out of the room in handcuffs following the hearing. However, his lawyer told the court Wednesday that they'd hired a private investigator to gain information about the victim before trial.

The investigator joined a drug recovery program the victim was part of in an effort to get closer to her. The victim, who was 14 at the time of the assault, said she only realized the person was a private eye when the lawyer started using things in court that she'd told her "friend" in confidence.

The judge also ordered any recorded conversations between the victim and the investigator be destroyed.

The assault took place 26 years ago, but was not reported until 2016.

During Wednesday's hearing, the victim whose name is protected by publication ban told Murray, "What you did to me changed me forever."

Not making eye contact with the former councillor, she told him she felt vulnerable and ashamed about her body after the assault. She said she'd been suicidal as a result.

"I was starved of true and healthy relationships," she said.

Her words brought loved ones inside the courtroom to tears.

Murray spent years coaching basketball at Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam and Capilano College in North Vancouver. He was elected to city council in Pitt Meadows in 2011.

During the investigation, Murray remained in his position on council. He announced his resignation four days after his conviction, following mounting pressure from the public, the city's mayor and fellow councillors.

The circumstances around Murray's resignation prompted Mayor John Becker to call on the province to make it easier for municipal governments to remove elected officials convicted of crimes.

"There's no power in the hands of city council to suspend or remove a city councillor in these kinds of situations," he said in the fall.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith