Dangerous offender appeal denied
Dennis Sassie of Fort Liard will remain behind bars indefinitely; sexually assaulted elder
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, November 2, 2015
ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
A Fort Liard man has been denied an appeal of his conviction and sentence for a sexual assault on a 64-year-old woman in 2008.
Dennis Sassie, now 44, was imprisoned indefinitely and declared a dangerous offender after his conviction in 2012. Sassie's lawyer Thomas Boyd argued in front of the NWT Court of Appeal on Oct. 20 that the original trial judge, Virginia Schuler, erred in her judgment by failing to properly apply the principles of reasonable doubt.
Boyd argued there were gaps in the evidence at trial which were not considered by the judge. He said they included a lack of forensic evidence and argued Schuler failed to explain why these gaps in evidence did not give rise to reasonable doubt. Boyd also argued the judge did not properly assess evidence from the victim, that she did not recognize Sassie when he first entered her home and did not properly take into account her problems with poor eyesight and hearing.
The appeal court dismissed the arguments made by Boyd and pointed out that the victim's testimony was credible because she had known Sassie for many years and in fact had even babysat for him. Testimony during trial revealed that the victim let Sassie into her home without being entirely sure who he was but later recognized him while the two were in her living room. Court heard Sassie grabbed the victim several times before pushing her into a bedroom and having non-consensual sex with her.
Sassie's appeal of his dangerous offender status and indefinite sentence was also dismissed. The appeal court pointed out that Sassie has a lengthy criminal record, including three sexual assaults, two assaults causing bodily harm, one assault with a weapon and four other assaults. His parole was suspended five times and he had committed an offense nearly every year he was out of jail since becoming an adult, the court noted.
Sassie also suffers from multiple substance addictions and that the treatment he received while incarcerated was largely ineffective, according to court documents. The dangerous offender assessment was conducted by two psychiatrists and a psychologist. They stated Sassie has a preference for coercive sexual interaction with females and that preference increases the risk for future violent sexual behaviour. The doctors also felt Sassie has an antisocial personality disorder for which there is no effective treatment. The appeal court ruled that based on the evidence, including the testimony from the doctors, the dangerous offender status should stand and that the only way to protect the public from the risk posed by Sassie is to keep him behind bars indefinitely. During his trial in 2012, court heard Sassie is one of nine children who never made it past Grade 4. Both of his parents drank excessively and his father died when he was in his early teens. Sassie testified he was sexually assaulted as a child although there are no police or court records to substantiate that claim.
Sassie blames his troubled upbringing for his lifelong struggle with anger and addictions. Sassie did say if he were ever let out of jail, he would consent to taking sex drive reduction medication and other medication that would make him physically ill if he consumed alcohol. It is not clear where Sassie is serving his sentence.
