Former high school youth worker sentenced for sexually assaulting student

Arthur Francis McGuigan has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for sexually assaulting a Bluefield High School student in 2009. He was a youth worker at the school at the time.

McGuigan, 64, pleaded guilty to sexual assault. At the time of the alleged offence he was 54 and the student was 17. 

The court heard McGuigan was driving the girl to an appointment, as part of his job as a youth worker. He took her to an empty room in a building used for group counselling meetings, where they smoked marijuana and had a sexual encounter. 

Through a victim impact statement she read out loud in court, the woman said the incident happened after months of grooming and manipulation. She said she's struggled with addiction and mental health issues since she was a child — and McGuigan took advantage of that.

'Felt like a game of chess'  

The woman told the court she and McGuigan bonded over music, that she would confide in him and that he gained her trust.

"When I look back to those times now I literally feel sick to my stomach," she said.

The woman said after the assault she struggled to keep a job and a relationship due to periods of depression. She said after the assault she began abusing drugs and alcohol again, and that she continues to suffer panic attacks and flashbacks. 

But she told the court Tuesday she's proud of what she has accomplished since then, like completing her education and regaining her sobriety. 

"My whole encounter with Arthur McGuigan has felt like a game of chess," she told the court. "I'd like to state before the court today that I've won, checkmate."

Second sexual conviction

A charge of sexual exploitation and a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent of trafficking against McGuigan were stayed.

Crown attorney Gerald Quinn and defence attorney Brendan Hubley presented the judge with a joint recommendation for sentencing of three months followed by one year of probation. When handing down his decision, Justice Gregory Cann said he took McGuigan's guilty plea into consideration as well as the statement from the former student and felt the recommended sentence was appropriate.

After the sentencing the woman told CBC she was satisified with the judge's decision and glad to have the opportunity to address the court to help people understand the impact of these types of crimes.

McGuigan is on parole for another similar conviction five years ago. In 2014 he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation and drug trafficking involving another female student, stemming from incidents in August 2013. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

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