Man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault of B.C. child gets 8-year prison sentence
A sign for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in English and French along with the crest of the RCMP. (Shutterstock)
Vancouver -
A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child in B.C. has been given an eight-year prison sentence.
Mounties in Burnaby say Sheldon James Lowney, 30, pleaded guilty to several charges including telecommunication to lure a child under 16, sexual interference of a person under 16, possession of child pornography and a weapons-related charge. He was sentenced on May 27, police said in a news release issued a month later.
The charges are related to an incident where a young girl was reportedly befriended online last May. Information released by police last year said a man arranged to meet the girl, then allegedly sexually assaulted her while being in possession of a restricted weapon.
Part of Lowney's sentence includes a 10-year ban from accessing the internet.
"This case is an extremely troubling and tragic example that illustrates dangers of social media, and how children can be victimized by predators online said," Cpl. Michelle Hurtubise in a news release announcing the sentence Monday.
Court records show a man with the same name pleading guilty to befriending teenaged girls online and to sexual interference in 2015. The B.C. Prosecution Service would not confirm last year that it's the same person who was charged in the 2020 Burnaby case.
In the 2015 case, the late Justice B. M. Joyce heard the details in Chilliwack court and rendered a sentence in July of that year.
Sheldon James Lowney pleaded guilty to meeting a 15-year-old girl on Nexopia and engaging in sex acts, some of which he recorded. When police searched his apartment, they found sexual videos of Lowney with another 15-year-old girl, who could not lawfully consent due to her age.
He was sentenced to a concurrent sentence of 15 months for the first case of sexual interference, 14 for the second, plus four months for possession of marijuana for the purposes of trafficking and 30 days for breach of recognizance.
Burnaby Mounties say they've noticed a 75 per cent increase in child exploitation cases from 2019 to 2020.
"Today’s world offers adults and children unlimited and unrestricted access to communication and information. It is our responsibility as adults, parents and community leaders to educate children and keep a watchful eye," Hurtubise said.
"Be alert and be aware of your children’s online activities."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Penny Daflos
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