Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 27/00) - A 58-year-old Yellowknife man has been sentenced for two charges of indecent assault, crimes that happened over 30 years ago in Fort Simpson.

Fred Cazon, who worked for many years as a janitor for the Yellowknife School District, was sentenced to four year in jail when he appeared in territorial court in Yellowknife on Tuesday.

He will serve the sentence at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre for assaulting two children between 1963 and 1971.

Cazon sat quietly in court beside his lawyer, appearing ashamed and fragile. He intermittently wiped tears from his eyes.

Dressed in a parka he didn't remove during the proceedings, Cazon appeared small-framed and timid.

But the details of his offenses painted a much different picture.

"Acts of fellatio and digital penetration are crimes of major significance," said Judge Brian Bruser.

"The two offenses are repugnant. These offenses preyed on vulnerable victims."

No information that would reveal the identity of the victims can be published, due to a publication ban imposed by the court, to protect them from further emotional hardship.

Cazon did not have a record of any criminal behaviour before or after the offenses dealt with this week.

That, as well as the unlikelihood he would re-offend and the fact he pleaded guilty were factors in his favour, but Bruser said the sentence has to send a strong message.

"The focus today has to be on the deterrence of others."

Both victims submitted impact statements to the court, citing problems with trust and functioning in current relationships.

"My life was anger and pain," said one of the victims.

The other said, "I believe my spirit as a child was destroyed."

Lawyer Stephen Shabala of Hay River, relayed his client's shame and said Cazon suffers from a drinking problem because of it.

Cazon seemed confused and sad as he expressed his apologies to the victims. He is not allowed to have any contact with the victims.