Four years for child molester
Russell Doll crept into bedroom of acquaintance's five-year-old daughter as she slept
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 18, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife carver who molested the five-year-old daughter of an acquaintance - while living as an invited guest in their home - has been handed a four-year prison sentence.
Russell Doll was sentenced for the crime by Justice Karan Shaner in NWT Supreme Court on Dec. 9 after being found guilty following a two-day trial last month.
"Unfortunately, there are no reasonable alternatives to a lengthy incarceration," said Shaner during her ruling.
"There are, by contrast, no mitigating factors. It is important that Mr. Doll is separated from society and that society is protected from him."
The 52-year-old committed the assaults after the complainant's father invited him to stay at the family's home in the winter of 2005. During that time, Doll entered the victim's room on three separate occasions to touch her while she was in bed. During sentencing, Shaner pointed out that one of the attacks involved the use of force to remove the victim's clothing.
On another occasion, Doll molested the girl while the victim's father was at home.
Shaner said three incidents of sexual interference were predatory and betrayed a position of trust.
Shaner also noted that Doll has 32 criminal convictions dating back to 1978, including six assaults - the sexual interference offence is his first conviction for a crime of a sexual nature. However, he has since charged with two further counts of sexual assault and another charge for sexual interference.
One of the charges for sexual assault and the charge for sexual interference are alleged to have been committed against an eight-year-old girl in the summer of 2003.
Aside from the sentence, Shaner ordered Doll be placed on the DNA registry for 10 years, and that he be prevented from obtaining employment that involved him being in a position of trust with minors for the rest of his life. Doll must also comply with a firearms ban for 10 years.
He was credited with 29 days already served in jail while awaiting his sentence.
Shaner's decision took into account a victim impact statement, which was read out in court by Crown prosecutor Marc Lecorre at the request of the victim.
In the statement, the victim, now 14, said she has been left permanently scarred by the incident. She said since the assault occurred, she has resorted to drinking, taking pills and smoking marijuana to numb the pain.
"After I got drunk or high it would still haunt my dreams," her statement read.
The victim said she tried killing herself on several occasions, and that she eventually got to the point where she didn't want to be around people anymore.
"I tried to go home and sleep, but I just lay there and thought about what my life would have been like if Russell had not ruined it."
Before sentencing, Doll talked about his difficult upbringing. According to defence lawyer Tracy Bock, Doll spent time in an orphanage from the ages of one to three and was subjugated to violence by both his mother and father. As a result, Brock said Doll turned to drugs and alcohol at a young age, and first smoked marijuana when he was 11.
Doll said he has turned his life around by becoming a successful carver and by helping his own son deal with addictions issues.
Nowhere in his statement did Doll did express remorse for molesting the girl.
"The fact is that you, alone, are responsible for your actions," Shaner told Doll.
