A Canmore man has been sentenced to two years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to confining and kissing an eight-year-old girl in a public washroom.
Jorge Betancourt appeared in front of Judge Les Grieve on Wednesday (March 21) by closed circuit television to make his guilty plea after his defence counsel withdrew from the record.
“I know what I did, I’m guilty,” Betancourt said. “I want to plead guilty fast, I am willing to take the consequence.”
Grieve said the offences were extremely serious and sentenced the 39-year-old to two years for charges of unlawful confinement and invitation of sexual touching of a minor and two concurrent six-month sentences for charges of unlawful harassment and failing to comply with release conditions.
“I can only imagine the scare that went through the mind of (the mother) whose child had disappeared into the washroom with this person,” said the judge.
Assistant chief Crown prosecutor Cameron Jose said on Feb. 15, RCMP responded to the Canmore Public Library when an eight-year-old girl visiting town on vacation was assaulted.
Jose said the young girl noticed the accused staring at her and went to find her mother in the washroom, but went into the men’s washroom by mistake.
He said Betancourt followed her in, blocked the exit and told her to kiss him.
“In speaking with the girl, she said he had also kissed her without her consent,” said the Crown, adding the girl managed to flee the washrooms for help and witnesses identified Betancourt to police.
However, he had fled the library by that time, then caught a Greyhound bus to Whistler where he was apprehended the next day.
“This is an allegation of sexual touching of an eight-year-old,” Jose said. “We consider that to be very serious… the Crown’s position on this is we should be looking at a range of 18 months to two years.”
The charge of unlawful harassment, submitted by Jose, stem from a series of incidents in Banff between April 2009 and April 2011 when Betancourt followed a woman and sent her unwanted gifts, causing her to fear for her safety.
