A Maple Ridge man accused of sexually assaulting a young girl who babysat for his family apologized in court Wednesday by acknowledging there was no excuse for his behaviour.
In a letter to the court read by his lawyer, Russell John Hobson wrote he was ashamed of himself.
His victim was present in court to hear the apology.
“I know how wrong this is,” wrote Hobson, who pleaded guilty last year to one count of sexual exploitation.
At a sentencing hearing in Port Coquitlam Provincial Court, Hobson’s lawyer, Lionel Farmer, asked judge Marion Buller Bennett to consider a provincial prison term (anything less than two years) and probation for his client.
Farmer noted Hobson had accepted responsibility for the crime and acknowledged the harm done.
“He feels like he took a lot of the victim’s life away,” Farmer told the court.
“Looking back, he believes [the relationship] should have never happened.”
A heavy-set man with closely cropped hair and dark circles under his eyes, Hobson has been in custody since he was arrested last May following an investigation by Ridge Meadows RCMP that lasted more than a year.
He was charged with sexual interference, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, and sexual assault with a weapon.
He entered a guilty plea on the first day of his trial in October.
The other charges will most likely be stayed.
Hobson is accused of assaulting the girl over a period of four years.
Hobson’s sexual relationship began in 2001, when the girl was 14. He was 33 then.
The relationship continued until she turned 18.
Hobson is already a registered sex offender because he was convicted of another sexual assault last April on Vancouver Island. Crown has requested he be registered as a sex offender for life.
Hobson will be given a two-for-one credit for the nine months he’s spent in custody.
Crown prosecutor Richard Browning agreed a provincial sentence of 18 months to two years would be appropriate in Hobson’s case.
He also requested a court order forbidding Hobson from having any contact with the victim and her family.
Judge Bhuller Bennett is set to sentence Hobson next week.