By Keith Lacey
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A convicted pedophile from Sault Ste. Marie will return to court next Wednesday, where the Crown may announce whether they intend on holding a hearing to have him tried as a dangerous or long-term offender.
Robert Bumbacco, 54, made a brief appearance Wednesday and was remanded in custody for one week.
Bumbacco just completed a 60-day psychological assessment in Toronto.
Assistant Crown attorney Alex Kurke told Justice Guy Mahaffy Wednesday he has yet to read the final psychiatric report and needs more time to determine what the Crown will do next.
The Crown has left open the option of holding a hearing under the criminal code to try Bumbacco as a dangerous offender or long-term offender.
Dangerous offender status, if granted by a judge, could keep Bumbacco in jail indefinitely. Long-term offender status gives police special powers to closely monitor offenders once they are released from prison.
In March, Bumbacco pleaded guilty to one count of touching a 14-year-old girl for a sexual purpose and inviting the same girl to touch him for a sexual purpose. He also pleaded guilty to breaching a court order to not leave Sault Ste. Marie or be in the presence of any girl under 18 without adult supervision.
Bumbacco, who has a long history of convictions for sex-related crimes involving young girls, joined a Sudbury area church in the 1999 and by the fall of 2000 had become close friends with a family who were parishioners at the same church.
The family considered Bumbacco a close friend and he spent much time at their home and on family outings.
Bumbacco started spending countless hours with the family's 14-year-old daughter and her teenage friends without parental supervision.
Eventually, Bumbacco started showering the girl with gifts, including toys, shoes, games and at one point offered to give her his personal computer.
Between Dec. 1, 2000 and Aug. 6, 2001, Bumbacco was alone with the girl and touched her breasts on numerous occasions, asked her to kiss him and told her he wanted to have sex with her.
On at least one occasion he exposed his penis and asked her to touch it, but she refused and Bumbacco never forced her to, court heard.
He told the girl not to tell anyone as what was transpiring was "their secret".
At one point, Bumbacco touched the girl's private area.
During the same time period, Bumbacco erected a tent in the family's backyard and one night entered the tent and fondled his victim under blankets.
During all of these events, Bumbacco was under court order to not leave Sault Ste. Marie or have any contact with any girl under age 18 without adult supervision.
Police were contacted when a family friend read part of the girl's personal diary and informed her parents.
Bumbacco was arrested Aug. 10 last year and has been in custody since.
Bumbacco faces several other sex-related charges for an incident which allegedly took place June 1 last summer.
Bumbacco still faces one count of assault for an incident against another inmate inside the Sudbury District Jail Dec. 22, 2001.
Bumbacco was convicted in October, 1998 in Sault Ste. Marie of sexual assault of a female between ages nine and 10 for incidents which took place between Jan. 1, 1995 and Jan. 15, 1997. He received a 30-month penitentiary term.
In 1992, Bumbacco was convicted, also in Sault Ste. Marie, of having sexual intercourse with a female under age 14 dating back to 1978. He was given a one-year jail sentence.
Last October, Bumbacco was found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault involving two 11-year-old girls between 1996 and 1998.
