Yellowknife (Jan 31/05) - It was an ignominious end to a political career: former Inuvik MLA Roger Allen stood in a Yellowknife courtroom, head bowed and hands clasped at his waist, while a judge sentenced him to four months in jail for sexual assault.

The sensational trial capped a spectacular fall from grace for a man once considered a strong candidate for premier. A one-time Olympian, city councillor, mayor and minister of justice, Allen was one of the most popular political figures in the North.

Roger Allen: His political career effectively ended last week with a four-month jail sentence

Gregarious and charming, according to those who worked with him at the Legislative Assembly, Allen built a reputation as a hard-working and down-to-earth politician who helped troubled teens in Inuvik and forged relationships with aboriginal groups in the politically charged Mackenzie Delta.

But those accomplishments were overshadowed by a summertime scandal surrounding his residency and the public disclosure of a sexual assault charge - controversies that forced Allen to resign in October.

While his political career effectively ended last week with his conviction and four-month jail sentence, those who know Allen say his downward slide started last year, in the weeks following the 2003 territorial election.

Allen began his career in territorial politics in 1999, when he narrowly defeated the current commissioner of the NWT Glenna Hansen to take the Inuvik riding of Twin Lakes.

A member of then-premier Stephen Kakfwi's "rookie cabinet," Allen was handed control of the NWT Housing Corporation and the Department of Public Utilities. When Kakfwi shuffled the cabinet in 2001, Allen was handed the justice portfolio - a rare coup for a first-term MLA.

In the 2003 territorial election, Allen easily regained his seat.

He grabbed 55 per cent the popular vote - more than double that of his next closest rival. The Twin Lakes riding saw nearly 150 per cent voter turnout, as hundreds of unregistered voters showed up on election day and cast ballots.

In the weeks after the election, Allen publicly announced that he was entering a three-horse race for the premiership with fellow Inuvik representative Floyd Roland and Weledeh's Joe Handley.

Allen told reporters he had the support of seven of the 19 MLAs who would eventually elect the premier from their own ranks. His support evaporated in the days leading up to the final vote and he was forced to concede the premiership to Handley. Allen was also completely shut out of cabinet in the back-room dealings - a move that he felt was a slap in the face.

Losing the cabinet post also meant Allen's salary would drop by about $40,000 per year.

Publicly, Allen put on a brave face, telling an Inuvik reporter: "First and foremost, I took pride in being elected and MLA. It's just the way life goes in the political arena."

Privately though, he was hurting. The woman Allen was convicted of sexually assaulting said he was disillusioned by being left out of cabinet.

"When he became an ordinary MLA, he was different," the woman testified. "He was not happy because he was not selected as a cabinet minister. He was not happy with the other MLAs."

It was a sentiment Allen shared with fellow representative Robert Hawkins during an encounter in the halls of the Legislative Assembly.

"He told me that he wanted to pack his truck and head for Grande Prairie after his term," Hawkins, MLA for Yellowknife Centre, said last week. "He wanted to get out of the (territory). His heart was not here."

Speaker of the House Paul Delorey - who has known Allen for nearly two decades - said Allen "felt a little deceived" at not being named to cabinet.

Seen sporadically

"It is something all politicians aspire to. When it doesn't happen, it can be a letdown," he said. During the next six months, Allen was seen only sporadically in his home riding. At the same time, a government oversight committee was investigating his claim for a lucrative housing allowance. Allen had declared - under penalty of perjury - that he lived in a small, remote cabin without running water or road access, nearly 30km outside of Inuvik.

Allen originally built the cabin in the mid-1980s while he was battling alcoholism. It helped him renew his ties to the land and he has been an "abstainer" ever since, his lawyer said during the trial.

Under mounting pressure, Allen planned to stay at the cabin during the May 19-21 trip to the Delta. It was in an Inuvik hotel that week where he sexually assaulted a long-time acquaintance, a judge ruled two weeks ago.

The housing scandal became public six weeks later and Allen was officially ordered to repay nearly $10,000 in public funds. His lawyer, Austin Marshall, explained the sexual assault charge and the revelation that - at best - Allen had cheated on his wife had a profound effect on his life and six-year marriage. While the couple has gone through counselling, their life in Northern Alberta has not been easy, Marshall said.

Rumours of the sexual assault charge filtered through the town of Grimshaw - where Allen lived with his wife and family and was working as a delivery driver - and reporters buzzed around their property, Marshall said.

The housing scandal and sexual assault charge had turned Allen into a pariah. His wife did not attend the four days of trial, nor did any of his former counterparts from the legislative assembly.

Delorey - who called Allen a close personal friend - said the controversy that has surrounded Allen during the last eight months threatens to overshadow his past accomplishments.

"He has touched a lot of people," Delorey said last week. "I suspect some people will forgive him and some people won't. That is human nature."

Attempts to contact Allen at the North Slave Correctional Centre were unsuccessful.