Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 05/02) - A 19-year-old man pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault against his younger sisters in Supreme Court last week.

RCMP arrested the man on Feb. 22 after they received reports from the Department of Social Services that he had been having sexual intercourse with his two younger sisters over the past five years. The victims are now aged 11 and 13.

A report from the Crown's office on the case against the man indicated Social Services and the RCMP had been advised of the assaults in February 1997, but the family was obtaining counselling at that time and no charges were laid.

However, the assaults began again earlier this year and the man was arrested.

The 11-year-old victim told police in her statements that her brother had been having vaginal, anal and oral sex with her and her sister since September 1996.

The girl also told police her brother threatened to cut her fingers off or shoot her if she would not have sex with him. The older sister told police she does not remember any of the incidents. During an interview with police after his arrest in February, the man confessed he had sexually assaulted both of his sisters inside his family's home.

The man entered the guilty pleas before Supreme Court Justice John Vertes on June 27. Vertes has postponed sentencing until Aug. 22 in order for a pre-sentencing report to be prepared.

The man's younger brother has also been charged with sexual assault against the same victims. He is scheduled to appear for trial on Sept. 11 at 9:30.