Judge Wary of Proposed Two-year Sentence for Utah Man Who Came to B.C. to Sexually Abuse Preteen Girl (with Video)

The Province
May 31, 2014

http://www.theprovince.com/Judge+wary+proposed+year+sentence+Utah+came+sexually+abuse+preteen+girl+with+video/9892513/story.html

A B.C. provincial court judge says that a proposed sentence of two years in prison followed by probation for a Utah man who came to B.C. to abuse a preteen girl does not seem long enough.

“That is striking me as pretty light,” Judge Robert Hamilton told Crown Friday during sentencing submissions in the case of Kevin Douglas Knowlton.

Hamilton said a longer prison sentence could be a greater benefit to Knowlton and the community.

“That gives us more time to work on him in the federal penitentiary … and try to correct his deviant way of thinking,” Hamilton said.

Knowlton, a 33-year-old from Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty in March to child luring, sexual interference and making child pornography.

Knowlton, a slight, blond man with a goatee, and the 12-year-old victim met while playing an online game in June or July of last year. They chatted often during the months that followed.

Knowlton travelled to Surrey to meet the girl for the first time in early December and returned four more times. He stayed in a hotel on King George Boulevard and the girl snuck out of her house to meet him.

On more than one occasion she spent the night and the two had sex. Knowlton shot photos and video of their later encounters.

In February, after spending the night with Knowlton, the girl’s parents caught her sneaking into the house. She told them what had been going on and they took her to the Surrey RCMP to file a complaint.

The same day, police arrested Knowlton at his hotel. He had a digital memory card on him, which contained photos and videos of his sexual encounters with the girl. Knowlton provided a statement and did not deny what had happened.

He has been in custody since his arrest.

According to presentence and psychological reports, Knowlton has a unique background.

He was raised as a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his polygamist father had five wives and a total of 58 children. His mother married at age 14 and had 15 kids, of which he is the youngest.

Although intelligent and able to work in the challenging field of software engineering, Knowlton had, according to Crown, a “deep-seated” addiction to pornography and high sex drive. Knowlton felt so guilty and disgusted by his sexual behaviour that he decided to have his testicles removed in March 2013.

Knowlton has been described as a people pleaser who was slow to develop emotionally and has a hard time saying no to people. He told report writers that he visited the girl in Surrey because she wanted him to.

“The accused engages in … stunning victim-blaming,” Crown prosecutor Winston Sayson said in his submissions.

Hamilton noted that he was disturbed by a statement Knowlton made about doing as the girl wished and not saying no unless it violated his moral sensibilities.

“It’s hard to reconcile that statement with what went on here,” he said. “What could be more immoral?”

Defence lawyer Isaac Ferbey said his client was in love with the girl — he gave her a promise ring — and sex was not his primary motive.

“He proposed marriage to her. He thought they would be together forever,” Ferbey said.

The judge noted: “What he grew up seeing is not so different from what he ended up doing.”

Sayson proposed a two-year prison term, followed by three years of probation, a sentence that Ferbey supported. Conditions on Knowlton’s probation would be no contact with the victim and no entering B.C.

Sayson said he has been assured that after Knowlton has been released from prison he will be removed from Canada and turned over to U.S. authorities. Investigators are looking into Knowlton’s activities in Utah, however according to court records no charges have been laid to date.

Hamilton wondered if it would be better to hold Knowlton in custody for longer to give him as much help as possible before his release.

“I don’t want Mr. Knowlton to go down to the United States and abuse more children down there,” he said.

Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Contact: jensaltman@theprovince.com