N.S. abuse victims reveal lifelong trauma from father's sexual violence
Crown seeks prison term of 9 to 12 years at Douglas Guthro Sr.'s sentencing hearing
Three siblings whose father sexually abused them for years gave emotional accounts Friday in a Pictou, N.S., courtroom about how they're still dealing with the trauma of what they endured as children.
Susan Farrell, Sheri Colbert and Doug Robertson read their victim impact statements in Nova Scotia Supreme Court at the sentencing hearing for Douglas Guthro Sr., who has pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual violence dating back decades.
Guthro, 86, wore headphones in the witness box to help him hear as his son and two daughters recounted how he preyed on them and how their shame and guilt kept them from coming forward until they finally went to police in November 2023.
Farrell, now 56, recalled being around three years old when the abuse began in a household she described as violent and uncertain.
She likened it to growing up in somewhat of a "war zone" and said keeping the secret for a half-century has been stressful.
"The three of us have a life sentence," Farrell said outside court. "He did not take our needs, our rights or anything into consideration."
Abuse has led to panic attacks, anxiety and PTSD
Colbert, 50, said in her statement that what happened to her as a child has shaped everything in her life and means even times of happiness are tangled with pain.
She said she deals with daily anxiety and panic attacks but is fighting every day to heal and feels empowered about finally speaking out.
The siblings asked in July that the publication ban on their identities as sexual assault victims be lifted so they could fully share their experiences.
"It's part of my healing too, not to feel as much shame as I have," Colbert said. "I just don't want to live in hiding anymore."
Robertson, 53, who was the keynote speaker at a recent march in Truro against sexual violence, told the court his father took away his innocence.
He recalled that school offered a safe haven for a few hours each day but he would always then try to plan how to be safe at home.
"It affects me every day waking up and thinking about it. But you've got to kind of push it away a little bit and move on," he said outside court.
He is now in therapy to deal with PTSD, he said.
Robertson's wife, Tish, said her life also was changed forever after she learned of what her husband had endured as a boy.
His daughter, Kaitlin, 25, said it has been hard seeing him deal with so much pain.
"It sucks because my whole life I have been around my dad and my two aunts and to think that constant feeling was in the back of their minds just trying to live a normal life is horrible," she said.
Crown seeks 9 to 12 years in prison
At Friday's hearing, the Crown described Guthro's crimes as an "egregious breach of trust" and said the prolonged nature of the abuse was another aggravating factor.
"It was 19-plus years, there were three victims, each one in succession," said senior Crown counsel Bill Gorman outside court. "The acts themselves were horrific."
Gorman told the court it's important that Guthro's sentence send a message because the one place children should feel safe and protected is at home.
He is seeking a prison term of nine to 12 years while the defence is requesting a conditional sentence to be served in the community.
Guthro's lawyer, Pavel Boubnov, is not disputing the aggravating circumstances of the case, acknowledging his client's crimes are "grave," but said his age and health issues should be considered.
While Guthro does live in his own apartment, Boubnov said care workers have to help him shower and get dressed because of his fragile and deteriorating condition.
"For someone who is approaching his 90s, this would be a life in prison sentence," Boubnov said outside court. "And the second issue is whether the institution would be able to accommodate his health conditions."
Justice Frank Hoskins said he has not seen any evidence about Guthro's medical condition and wants that to be produced for consideration at the next hearing before he decides on a sentence.
Guthro is scheduled to be back in court in Pictou in June.
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