A Prince George man's bid to have a conviction overturned for inappropriately touching a young girl has failed.
In February 2015, a jury found Paul Veeken guilty of sexually interfering with a person under 16 years old and was subsequently sentenced to two years in jail followed by one year probation.
In the aftermath, Veeken, now 45, won a new trial, this time before a judge alone.
But on Wednesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lance Bernard effectively upheld the jury's verdict, finding Veeken had inappropriately and deliberately touched a girl over the course of about two years starting when she was 10 years old, often under the guise of pulling her onto his lap and tickling her.
When testifying, Veeken had admitted to hosting get-togethers for groups of children at a cabin in the region where they would use a hot tub and watch movies on a television he had installed. He also admitted to stocking the cabin with candy and ice cream, along with toys and children-friendly movies, but maintained it was only because he liked such things.
Veeken also stressed he maintained a "two-kid rule" to avoid being unfairly accused of inappropriate behaviour. But Bernard found that troubling given his admitted behaviour which included joining girls in the hot tub when no adults were present.
The matter came to a head when the girl took a course on babysitting and was warned about fathers who might try to touch a babysitter in the car on the way home. She brought Veeken's behaviour, up with her parents and eventually it was taken to the police.
Bernard had some strong words for Veeken in reaching his decision, finding he had groomed the girl for his own sexual gratification while "hiding in plain view" by using the other children as a "smokescreen of sorts."
Bernard found the victim was a "naive young girl" who was entranced by Veeken and the cabin and all it had to offer. "It was a child's dream that sadly turned into a nightmare" when she came to realize Veeken was sexually molesting her, Bernard said.
Veeken will be sentenced at a later date after a pre-sentence report has been completed. He remains out on conditions that include staying away from parks, pools, playgrounds and other areas where children tend to congregate.
