Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 14, 2008

HAY RIVER - A Hay River man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman as she slept in her bed.

Raymond Patrick Arnault, 58, was sentenced in Territorial Count on July 10.

Arnault pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred in Hay River on Dec. 29, 2007.

The court was told that Arnault and one of his sons had gone to the house of acquaintances and asked for a place to stay for the night.

After sharing three beers he had bought with the victim and her husband, Arnault went to the basement to sleep.

During the night, the victim awoke to find Arnault in her bedroom with his hand down the front of her pants and fondling her. The victim hit Arnault and ran from her house. She called police from a neighbour's home.

The RCMP arrested Arnault outside of the victim's house.

Judge Bernadette Schmaltz minced no words in condemning Arnault for the assault.

"Your actions were disgraceful," she said in passing sentence. "They were appalling."

Schmaltz added such "reprehensible" offences involving taking advantage of a sleeping woman are all too common in the NWT.

The judge said such offences have devastating effects on victims and lead them to lose a sense of security in their own homes.

Prior to the judge passing sentence, Arnault apologized to the victim and her family and his own family for the hardship he caused.

While recognizing Arnault was intoxicated during the assault and his expressed remorse for his actions, Schmaltz said the community cannot tolerate such behaviour.

"It has to be stopped," she said.

Schmaltz said all members of the community should be able to feel safe in their own homes and in their own beds.

In addition to the jail sentence, Arnault will be placed on one year's probation upon his release from custody.