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Pedophile sentenced to two years in jail

A Prince George man was sentenced Friday to two years in jail followed by one year probation for sexually interfering with a young girl.
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A Prince George man was sentenced Friday to two years in jail followed by one year probation for sexually interfering with a young girl.

It was the same sentence Paul Veeken, now 46, received in November 2015 after a jury found him guilty of the charge.

In the aftermath, Veeken won a new trial, this time before a judge alone. But in December, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lance Bernard also found him guilty.

During a subsequent sentencing hearing this week, Crown prosecutor Marie Louise Ahrens emphasized the fact that while out on bail, Veeken moved into a home next door to a family with two young girls and argued for three to four years.

But while Veeken had breached a condition to stay away from minors, Bernard found no evidence if inappropriate behaviour or touching.

Upon release from custody, Veeken will be prohibited for two years from having any contact with anyone under 16 years old and frequenting areas where they tend to congregate. He will also be on the national sex offender registry for 20 years and will be prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years.

In finding him guilty of the offence in December, Bernard found Veeken had befriended and groomed, then, for about two years, groped the girl 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.

A psychiatrist diagnosed Veeken as a pedophile who presented a moderate risk to reoffend.