SYDNEY,N.S. MAN FACING MORE SEX CHARGES………..
Oct 18 2024.
saltwire.
A Sydney man who is serving time in prison for sexual interference is scheduled to return to court next month to face sex charges involving two female victims.
Sean Francis O’Connell, 40, is charged with two counts of sexual assault, being in a relationship with a young person that is exploitative of the young person, and assault causing bodily harm involving one of the females.
A focus hearing on those charges, which are alleged to have taken place between 2015 and 2016, is scheduled to take place Nov. 7 at Sydney provincial court.
O’Connell is also charged with two charges of knowingly distributing intimate images of another female without her consent, sexual assault with a weapon, threats to a third party or causing bodily harm, and assault.
A preliminary hearing on those charges, which allegedly took place between 2015 and 2022, is scheduled for Nov. 20.
In April, O’Connell was sentenced to complete a four-year prison term after being convicted on a charge of sexual interference.
The female victim was 15 at the time and knew O’Connell before the offences occurred in his home.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the victim, now in her 20s, said O’Connell used her childhood troubles for his own advantage and the abuse stopped when O’Connell’s then-girlfriend became pregnant. O’Connell is the father of two daughters.
In passing sentence, Supreme Court Justice Patrick Murray said O’Connell’s offences had a “devastating impact on the victim’s mental health and general well-being.”
In addition to the jail sentence, O’Connell was ordered to submit a DNA sample to the national registry, he is banned from possessing weapons for 10 years, he is to be a registered sex offender for 20 years and is to stay away from areas where young people are likely to gather such as parks, public pools and playgrounds for 10 years.