Former Summerland resident pleads guilty to child sexual abuse – Penticton News

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Penticton Courthouse in a file photo.

WARNING: This article contains information about sexual abuse of a minor. Reader discretion is advised.

A former Summerland man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an underage girl who was his stepdaughter at the time.

A 62-year-old man, whose name is being suppressed under a publication ban to protect his victim, admitted sexually touching a 10-year-old girl in July 2023 in a Penticton court on Monday.

The court heard the girl told her mother about a disturbing incident during which a man touched her in her private parts. Her mother subsequently contacted the police, which led to her arrest.

The man, who now lives and works in Kamloops, has no criminal record but suffers from chronic depression and alcohol abuse.

The doctor who provided a report on the man’s condition said he was unlikely to reoffend.

The man said that at the time of the incident he was in a dark place. He now takes medication for depression and participates in group therapy.

The victim impact statement presented to the court by the child’s mother describes extreme emotional harm and ongoing consequences for both the child and the family.

She reported that her child is now afraid of men who are similar to the man who abused her and is showing symptoms of anxiety.

The man will be sentenced later.