The lawyer representing a former Prince George man found guilty of 13-sex related crimes against two stepdaughters argued for a significantly lower sentence Thursday than proposed by Crown prosecution the day before.
Tony Zipp is contending a sentence of seven to nine years is more appropriate for his client, as opposed to the 17 years prosecutor Cassandra Malfair is seeking from B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly.
In August, following a seven-week trial, Romilly found the man guilty of 13 counts dating back to when the victims were young girls. His name cannot be printed under a court-ordered publication ban against information that identifies the victims.
The counts include sexual assault, sexual interference of a person under 14 years old, publishing child pornography and bestiality for acts that occurred while he was living with the girls and their mother and other sisters and brothers in Prince George.
Zipp contended the incidents lacked the sexualized violence and physical injury seen in cases that have drawn sentences as high as 20 years and instead directed Romilly to several cases that ended in sentences ranging from as little as two-and-a-half years to as much as eight years.
And while Malfair maintained there are essentially no mitigating factors to take into account, Zipp said the man has no prior criminal record, had been steadily employed and continues to have a extensive support network of other family and friends.
Romilly will give his decision on sentencing this morning.
