Pemberton's Roger Molinaro has been sentenced to five and a half years in jail in relation to the sexual assault of two minors over a period of years.
The 52-year-old was found guilty on several charges in November 2021 related to the abuse of the minors, who were close family friends, over a period of three years in the case of one victim, and six years in the case of the other. The victims, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, were between the ages of nine and 12 or 13, and six and 12, respectively, in the periods in which the abuse took place.
Molinaro was arrested in April 2020 after police launched an investigation into historical allegations of child sexual assault. Ultimately, he was found guilty on seven counts: sexual interference of a person under 14; invitation to sexual touching under 14; invitation to sexual touching under 16; two counts of sexual interference of a person under 16; and two counts of sexual assault.
Judge Patricia Janzen handed down her sentence in Pemberton Provincial Court on Wednesday, Aug. 3, addressing Molinaro directly.
"It is clear that your offending contact has had a profound negative impact on your victims and their families," she said. "The impact on victims of sexual interference as a child can continue to manifest itself in different ways over a lifetime."
Janzen considered several aggravating and mitigating factors when applying the sentence, noting that the "opportunistic" Molinaro, who has no prior criminal record, is believed to be of low to moderate risk of reoffending—although the judge did say his ongoing denial of the offences could be an impediment to his rehabilitation.
The Crown had initially pushed for a sentence of between seven and nine years.
In addition to the prison term, Molinaro faces several other court orders as part of his sentence. He is required to register for life as a sex offender and provide a DNA sample to authorities. He is prohibited from communicating directly or indirectly with the victims or any of their immediate family members during his prison term, and cannot come within 200 metres of any dwelling the victims ordinarily reside in. He is prohibited from obtaining employment, whether paid or volunteer, that would put him in a position of trust with those under the age of 16, and he is to have no contact with anyone under 16 except for his own children or if he is in a public place with member of the public present, or he is under the supervision of an adult who has reviewed the terms of his prohibition order. He is also prohibited from owning firearms.
Pique will have more on this story in the coming days.
