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Kelowna  

Man sentenced for targeting kids

A West Kelowna man who pleaded guilty to various counts of lewd behavior involving children will spend the next year in jail.

Jason Antonio White was sentenced on Tuesday for exposing his genitals to a person under 16, and invitation to sexual touching. The charges stem from separate incidents beginning on July 8, 2012.

That’s when the court heard White had been seen masturbating in a park near Watt Road on Okanagan Lake.

Two 12-year-old girls saw him and told a parent, who in turn called police. But by the time they arrived, White was gone.

On July 17, one of the girls again saw White and said he was waving at her. Two days later the original pair of girls saw him once again at the park, again masturbating, but this time one of them was able to take his picture with a cell phone.

Police identified White as a person of interest, and when they stopped by his home – which he shared with his mother – the court heard she admitted the photo looked a lot like her son.

The three girls involved were shown a police lineup, but only one was able to pick White out. He was finally arrested Sept. 9, 2012, but released on bail the following day under a no-contact order with anyone under the age of 16.

Less than two years later, the Crown says another woman told police her daughter had been sexually assaulted by a friend, named Jason.

The allegations from that incident involved five and 10-year-old girls, who along with their mother, White, and others, had gone snowmobiling on March 16, 2014.

Just after midnight on March 17, the mother went to a store and left White alone with the two children.

According to the Crown, the children began putting facial cream on each other, but when the elder child returned from the bathroom, it’s alleged White was seen laying on the couch with an erection and attempting to entice the five-year-old to touch his penis, telling her it was OK.

The 10-year-old told her mother when she returned, who is said to have chased White out of the house with a knife.

Crown Counsel David Grabavac says these events show an escalation in sexual offences, and something that deserves serious denunciation and deterrence.

None of these submissions were disputed by White’s defence counsel Michael Newcombe, who instead told the court of his clients learning difficulties, which began as early as the first grade.

White is said to have severe intellectual disabilities, and a report from his high school in Grade 8 pointed out his learning level as that of a student in grades 2 or 3, and that he may have mild mental retardation. A recent psychological report also pegged him as a moderate to high risk of re-offending.

Newcombe agreed that controls must be put in place for his client, but argued that jail would not assist him, saying White has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since his incarceration.

When offered the chance to speak, White told the court he is taking full responsibility for his actions and still has trouble coping with what he’s done. He then broke down in the prisoner’s box, with a sheriff having to bring him a box of Kleenex.

Justice Anne Wallace noted how difficult it is to sentence these types of crimes given the circumstances of White’s mental state, but weighed that against the balancing act of ensuring the sentence must be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime.

“These types of crimes really outrage the community,” she said, pointing out that White was on bail for sexual offences against children when the second incident occurred and also in a position of trust and authority.

White was given credit for time served since his arrest in March, but will still spend the next 14.5 months behind bars.

Upon his release, White will be registered as a sex offender and must serve three years of strict probation. He will also not be allowed in any public park or swimming area where there could be kids under the age of 16.

Police in Kelowna issued a public warning about White earlier this year, asking for any other possible victims to come forward.



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