Former Church Deacon Gets Prison for Child Sex Assaults

CBC News
April 19, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/04/19/calgary-rodman-sentence-child-sex.html

A former baptist church deacon in Calgary has been sentenced to 38 months in jail for molesting boys at his church for several years.

Russell Rodman, 59, was a volunteer at the church when the assaults happened.

He pleaded guilty last November.

His four victims were between the ages of 10 and 17 and the attacks happened between 1978 and 1993.

Rodman later moved to High River, Alta.

Last year, Rodman wrote a 12-page confession letter and turned himself into the RCMP in High River after his wife found images of child pornography on the family computer.

Provincial court Judge Anne Brown said Rodman violated his position of trust and authority and the attacks had a traumatic effect on the victims. She also said Rodman, who is married with five kids, still struggles with his sexual identity.

She recommended he serve his sentence at Bowden penitentiary where he'll have access to treatment programs for sex offenders.

Thirty-two months of the sentence are for sexual assault, sexual interference and gross indecency. The other six months are for possessing child pornography — bringing the total sentence to roughly three years.