Sex offender convicted of exposing himself to child in Truro store

A Nova Scotia man with a history of sex offences against young children now has three more convictions on his record. 

James Michael Snow, 61, of Salmon River, N.S., was convicted Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on charges of exposing himself to a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose and of violating the conditions of his release from previous offences.

The trial was held over three days in April and May. Justice Christa Brothers issued her ruling this week.

According to evidence at his trial, Snow exposed his penis to an eight-year-old girl in the toy department of a store in Truro, N.S. on Jan. 16, 2021.

When confronted by the girl's mother, Snow responded that the woman was "nuts" and left the store on foot.

Boyfriend tracked Snow down

The woman returned home and told her boyfriend, who left in his truck in an effort to find the man. He caught up to Snow, who was still walking, and followed him and called Truro police. Snow was arrested and taken into custody.

Snow's lawyer tried to argue the Crown had failed to prove his client was the man in the store.

But the girl, her mother and the mother's boyfriend all identified Snow from store security video and a photo lineup.

After saying she was satisfied that witnesses had identified Snow as the man in the store, the judge turned to the question of whether he had committed a criminal offence.

In her ruling, Brothers said it was "no mere mistake or accident" that Snow had exposed himself in the store.

Facing 40 more charges

In 2017, Snow was convicted of indecent exposure.

He also has convictions for sexual assault, breach of probation and supplying liquor to children under the age of 19.

In March of last year, he was acquitted in Dartmouth provincial court of three charges of sexual assault.

He is scheduled to go on trial later this summer on 40 charges, including sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation. Those offences are alleged to have occurred in the Walton area of Nova Scotia between 1984 and 1998 and involve five complainants who were young children at the time.

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