Yellowknife (May 31/06) - A popular high school hockey player who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old fellow student was sentenced to 18 months in custody, including one year behind bars.

The jail term is among the longest handed down in the Northwest Territories since the federal government announced new sentencing guidelines for young offenders in 2003, according to Crown attorney Janice Walsh.

"The callousness of the attack I find bothersome," said territorial court judge Michel Bourassa. "Here the accused simply selected the young woman... and that was it."

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified, bowed his head as Bourassa handed down the sentence. His victim, then a fellow student, watched from the gallery. The accused looked towards family members before being escorted from the courtroom by police.

"This sends the message that sexual offences will be investigated and strictly (punished)," said Walsh outside the courtroom.

The teenager was convicted of sexual assault following an April trial. According to testimony, he gave the victim, who was drunk, a cigarette and offered to walk her home one night in June 2005.

The pair walked through a downtown park, where he threw the girl to the ground, pulled down her pants and sexually assaulted her.

She was later forced to leave school because of taunts from the teen's friends.

"Rape. That's the word that irresistibly comes to mind," said Bourassa.

The Grade 11 student is a talented hockey player who, according to court documents, dreams of a career in the National Hockey League. But he had abysmal grades and admitted to smoking marijuana daily. He also used cocaine and ecstasy occasionally.

"They need athletes, not druggies," Bourassa said, referring to NHL teams. "He's going nowhere in his personal life and his judgment... is non-existent. It won't happen."

The teen, who had no previous criminal record, will spend 12 months in jail followed by six months of "open custody," also known as house arrest. He will also be on probation for one year following his release.

"Most of society doesn't like rapists," Bourassa said. "That's too bad. That's the label you (have)."

Bourassa also ordered the teen to provide a DNA sample to police and barred him from owning a gun.