By Keith Lacey
A man who said he heard voices in his head Â?and couldnÂ?t resist the urgeÂ? to sexually abuse two young girls 25 years ago was sentenced to 15 months in jail Friday.
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J.P. Aubertin, 46, was charged in October 2000 with repeatedly sexually abusing two young girlsÂ?one over a six-year period starting when his victim was 11 or 12 and the second over a 10-year period beginning when the victim was age seven. The allegations date back to 1968.
Justice Louise Gauthier of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice imposed a publication ban on evidence that could reveal the indentity of either victim.
Following a preliminary hearing in which both victims testified, Aubertin pleaded guilty in the spring to two counts of gross indecency, two counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted sexual intercourse.
Court heard the vast majority of AubertinÂ?s life over the past decade has been directed toward his church. HeÂ?s become a deacon at SudburyÂ?s Church of the Way in the West End.
Aubertin testified he had a Â?childlike mentalityÂ? at age 18 and 19 when the sexual abuse was continuing and that the sexual acts between him and thegirls were based on Â?mutual consent and curiosity.Â?
Â?Â?I would sit in bed at night and think (about the sexual acts)Â?something drove me to do it. I couldnÂ?t resist the urge. I hated myself for days and months after.Â?
When assistant Crown attorney Susan Stothart asked Aubertin if heÂ?d ever been tested for improper sexual impulses or sexual deviancy, Aubertin said he hadnÂ?t and he didnÂ?t think such services were available for men.
When Stothart suggested Aubertin told his first wife heÂ?d had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old babysitter many years ago, Aubertin vehemently denied it.
Â?I never said that because it never happened,Â? he said.
In an agreed statement of facts read before the court, it was revealed Aubertin tried to bribe both victims with chocolate and money.
On one occasion, one of the victims was so afraid of Aubertin, she hid from him carrying a baseball bat.
The abuse of one victim only stopped when the girl, then 17, decided to move away from the Sudbury area and the abuse of the second victim only stopped when Aubertin got married for the first time at age 21, court heard.
The pastor at AubertinÂ?s church took the stand and testified Aubertin is one of the kindest men heÂ?s ever met.
HeÂ?s known him for more than 12 years and has watched him become more involved in the church as a mentor to others, Sunday school teacher and occasional minister.
Â?IÂ?ve always found him to be loving and loyalÂ?he has compassion and heÂ?s loving and caringÂ?and he will go out of his way to help people. HeÂ?s loved by everyone at our church,Â? said the pastor.
Aubertin is also a member of the Full Gospel MenÂ?s Fellowship, a Sudbury businessmanÂ?s organization which brings in guest speakers to preach spiritual renewal.
When Stothart asked the pastor if he knew about AubertinÂ?s charges and the serious allegations of prolonged sexual abuse against two victims, he admitted he knew very little of the details.
AubertinÂ?s wife Alicia testified she was Â?brokenÂ? when she met him five years ago and Â?heÂ?s been nothing but kind and gentleÂ?heÂ?s everything to me. If anything happened to him, I wouldnÂ?t be able to go on.Â?
When Aubertin took the stand, he admitted heÂ?s always known what he did 25 years ago was wrong.
Â?I always tried to find ways to amend what I did wrongÂ? and he only found redemption through religion, he said.
Aubertin suffers from heart problems, has never gotten in any other trouble and doesnÂ?t present a risk to reoffend, his defence lawyer Craig Fleming said.
Â?Jail, in this case, would be overkillÂ?heÂ?s led an otherwise blameless life,Â? he said.
The victim impact statements filed by both women indicates the emotional scars were devastating. One victim accurately described the sex assaults Â?as the most traumatic event of her life.Â?
Besides 15 months in jail, the judge placed Aubertin on probation for two years, where heÂ?s to access any counselling as recommended by his probation officer.
AubertinÂ?s wife broke down in tears after the accused was handcuffed.
