A former dormitory supervisor at the Beauval Indian Residential School is going to have to wait a little longer to find out how much jail time he is likely to be sentenced to.
In a Battleford courtroom Thursday morning, Judge Murray Acton heard final arguments at Paul Leroux’s sentencing and decided to reserve his decision until Dec. 12.
Prosecutor Mitch Piché says one of the factors in the Crown seeking an 11-year jail sentence is Leroux’s continued denial of any wrongdoing.
“One of the aggravating circumstances is not having any remorse for your victims and how can you have any remorse if you say you didn’t do it – so he has absolutely no remorse,” he says.
One of Leroux’s victims, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, adds it is difficult to forgive the former dorm supervisor when he takes no responsibility for his past crimes.
“Forgiveness for me is something that has to be reciprocal,” he says. “If he’s not willing to do that, I cannot give him that because he still denies what he’s done.”
Piché says the Crown could seek a jail sentence as long as 25 years but because of Leroux’s age, the fact that he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and time previously served on another conviction – a lesser sentence is being sought.
Speaking in his own defence, the former dorm supervisor complained he did not have adequate resources to properly prepare for the sentencing because he has been held in custody since his conviction on Nov. 5.
Leroux, now 73, says any sentence that is handed down should take into account his age, the amount of time that has passed and the fact no coercion was used in the crimes.
The former dorm supervisor has been found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency dating back to his time at the Beauval school in the 1960’s.
Leroux has already spent four years in jail for similar sex crimes committed when he was a dorm supervisor at a residential school in Inuvik in the 1970’s.