Man convicted of sexual assault
Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Hay River (Feb 19/01) - The past has once again come back to haunt a Wrigley man.
Angus John Ekenale, 55, was sentenced Friday to two years in jail following his conviction for sexual assaults that took place more than 10 years ago.
It's the second time in less than a year that Ekenale has been convicted for a past crime. Last June, he was convicted of manslaughter in the 30-year-old death of Elizabeth Rose Yendo in Wrigley. He was sentenced to five years in prison for killing Yendo.
Ekenale was in court in Hay River last week to face two counts of sexual assault arising from four incidents alleged to have taken place between 1987 and 1993.
A jury of eight men and four women deliberated for nearly four hours before finding Ekenale guilty on count one and not guilty on count two.
The complainant in count one told the court how she was assaulted by the defendant on three separate occasions at Trout Lake.
The first incident occurred while the witness -- then six years old -- was asleep at her grandmother's house and woke up to find Ekenale on top of her.
"He put his hand in my pants and his fingers inside of me," she said, adding that the assault lasted about half an hour.
She said the second assault also took place in her grandmother's house, when she was alone with the accused when she was 10 years old.
"He pushed me down and pulled my pants half-way down .I was scared and he had intercourse with me," she said.
Now 20, the witness also testified about a third incident that took place while walking with her friend in Trout Lake.
Her friend left her alone with the accused, who, she said, pushed her down and fondled her chest.
The defendant's estranged wife testified that when Ekenale was charged with the sex crimes, he phoned her to gain her silence.
"He called me and told me not to make any statement to the police," she said. "He told me I'd get hurt if I made a statement."
Ekenale was the last witness to take the stand and admitted to a previous criminal record that included: assault with bodily harm and careless use of a firearm in 1978; assault and failing to appear in 1991; sexual assault in 1993; sexual assault in 1995; and the manslaughter conviction in June 2000.
Before sentencing, defence lawyer James Brydon requested a jail term no longer than one year, due to the defendant's age, while prosecutor John O'Halloran requested three-and-a-half years.
Justice John Vertes imposed a two-year jail term.
"This man's past has indeed caught up with him," Vertes said. "Perhaps there is some truth in the saying that one can never escape one's past."
Ekenale must also submit to DNA fingerprinting as with all sexual offenders, and the justice department will also see he serves his jail time in the North.
