A Maple Ridge sex offender has been found guilty of three crimes against two brothers, dating back to the 1980s.
Richard Elbertson Richardson, 62, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one of gross indecency in New Westminster Supreme Court on Tuesday.
He was found not guilty of two other charges, buggery and indecent assault on a male person, which related to the same circumstances.
The crimes occurred between 1981 and 1983. The court found Richardson drank vodka at his home in Maple Ridge with a 15-year-old boy before sexually assaulting him. He assaulted the boy on five different occasions. He also assaulted a 10-year-old brother of the victim twice.
The older victim, who still lives in the area, said just getting Richardson off the streets is important, which is why he came forward.
“When I found out he was in custody, that was a relief to me,” he said.
The victim went once to court, but after having to be searched for weapons, and being uncomfortable in the presence of Richardson and his family members, he did not go back.
“Good,” was his reaction to the verdict. “But what are we going to do with him?”
The older victim expressed reservations about Richardson’s mental state, saying he has received disturbing letters from his assailant. He believes Richardson got his address through court documents during the trial. The tone of the letters was not apologetic, but rather included a poem “like love birds would send in high school.”
He read one of the letters, and didn’t open the others.
“It was disturbing and upsetting.”
“Clearly, he thinks its okay to contact his victims.”
Richardson has a history of legal problems that include offences and breaching court orders, and has been accused of a sex assault against a middle-aged man as recently as 2012.
Richardson was accused of sexually assaulting a roommate, another middle-aged man, in 2009. One of his bail terms was to not have a roommate. He allegedly breaching that condition, and the 2012 incident involved a roommate.
In 2010, RCMP issued a public warning to transit users, noting that the sex offender was handing out business cards to young male bus riders. Police said he targeted young men with mental health issues.
A date for sentencing will be set on May 29.