A B.C. Supreme Court Justice was given a range of 18 months to three years in jail during a sentencing hearing for a man convicted of a brutal sexual assault of a young woman.
Justice Marguerite Church will issue a decision at a later date for Tyler Jordan Roth, 25, after hearing submissions Wednesday from Crown and defence counsels.
The court heard that a grossly-intoxicated Roth talked his way into the woman's home and then used his size and strength to subdue the woman and force himself on her. The attack left her with serious injuries and long-lasting psychological trauma, the court heard.
With Roth asleep on her bed, the woman then contacted some friends to try to force him out of the home. After a considerable struggle, he was pushed out into exceptionally cold winter weather, raising a concern that he was a victim of vigilante justice.
That, combined with a strong certainty the conviction will put his career as a mechanical engineer in doubt, constitutes "collateral consequences" that defence counsel Dave Jenkins Sr. argued should be taken into account.
If Roth is sentenced to 18 months in jail, Jenkins Sr. said a term of probation could follow.
Roth, who maintains his innocence, has no criminal record and has been deemed to pose a low to moderate risk to re-offend. Either way, Crown and defence counsels agreed the crime warrants a jail term.
