Quebec pedophile sentenced to 10 years

Richard Reber, 51, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl and videotaping the crime.

The Crown wanted Reber declared a long-term offender, but on Monday in Montreal, Judge Céline Lamontagne rejected that request, saying the prosecution did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the public's safety would be at risk.

Crown prosecutor Isabelle Grondin said she was satisfied with the sentence and called it a good deterrent to would-be sex offenders who want to post images or videos on the internet.

"The facts in this case were very serious," Grondin said. "We're talking about a child who was sexually assaulted over a two-year period, a very young child … the sexual assaults were varied and repetitive."

Reber's video and pictures of the assaults viewed were viewed by the judge and likely left a powerful impression, Grondin suggested.

"I think in this case, an image is worth 1,000 words."

Reber was a friend of the child's mother, and the abuses occurred while the girl was alone with him and her mother was working. He was first arrested in March 2009 during a Canada-wide investigation called Project Salvo.

After being charged with possession and distribution of child pornography, Reber was released on bail. But police later uncovered video files Reber made of his sexually assaulting the four-year-old. He was arrested again in June last year and has remained in custody.

The girl told police Reber had sexually assaulted her at least 100 times and she called him a pig. Several months later, the child's testimony was corroborated when police in B.C. arrested a man who had Reber's video on his computer.

Reber, who lived in Pointe-Claire on Montreal's west island, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl with a weapon, to making videos of his crimes against her and to putting them online.

On Monday, Judge Lamontagne told the court Reber took advantage of the girl's vulnerability and used her as a sexual object. By putting the videos of his crimes on the internet, Reber in effect "shared" the girl with other pedophiles, the judge said.

After  time already served is deducted, Reber will end up spending a little more than seven years behind bars. If the judge had declared Reber a long-term offender, he would have been subject to a supervised release for up to 10 years after being granted parole.

Defence lawyer Luc Vaillancourt said the judge made the right decision.

"It is not necessary for a person convicted for the first time under these circumstances, where therapy is possible, to be declared a long -term offender."

Vaillancourt said he hoped the Crown would not appeal that decision.

"Mr. Reber … will have access to therapy for a very long time," Vaillancourt said. "I'm hoping [the Crown] will appreciate that he will have time to work on himself, do therapy, and it is not necessary to bring that motion back to court."

The judge did not include probation in her sentence but the court has imposed a lifetime ban on Reber being alone around children. He must also register with the National Sex Offender Registry and provide a sample of his genetic material to the federal DNA data bank.