90 days for molesting child

Photo: Contributed

A family is disgusted by the justice system after a man who sexually assaulted their young son was sentenced to just 90 days in jail.

Gregory Romaniuk walked out of Kelowna court Wednesday afternoon after Justice Cathaline Heinrichs handed down the mandatory minimum sentence for sexual interference of a person under 16, to be served intermittently on weekends.

The incident took place in Kelowna on May 6, 2016, after Romaniuk had been drinking. He pleaded guilty to putting his hands down the victim's pants while attempting to put the victim's hands on his penis.

The family of the victim broke down in tears as the judge read the details of the assault. 

Romaniuk's relationship with the victim is protected under a publication ban to protect the identity of the victim, but Heinrichs said Romaniuk was in a position of trust.

Following the assault, Romaniuk brought himself to the RCMP and confessed to assaulting the child. He pleaded guilty to sexual interference early on in court proceedings.

The victim's family says their son was left "shattered."

“The youth has described in his victim impact statement that if he hadn't stopped the accused, he fears he would have been hospitalized,” Heinrichs said. 

Romaniuk had no prior criminal record, and a forensic psychiatric report found him a low risk to reoffend.

“The impact that this is going to have on our son for the rest of his life and he gets to go spend his weekends (in jail) ... and the rest of the time he's out, is complete BS,” the victim's father said after the decision.

“He took away the innocence of my son,” said the victim's mother. “There's been no remorse.”

Romaniuk is prohibited from obtaining employment that puts him in a position of trust with anyone under 16 for five years, and will be placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years.

Additionally, Romaniuk was handed three years probation.