An owner of Lello’s Pizza & Shawarma in Shawville was found guilty of sexual assault against a former employee in October. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest — a slap on the wrist. He gets to continue living comfortably at home with his family, with little disruption to his daily routine. He is allowed to keep working at and operating his restaurant — the very place where he found his victim and committed his crime. He can leave home for work, medical appointments, religious services and other approved reasons. Where is the punishment? Where is the deterrent? What purpose does this sentence serve?
Meanwhile, the victim must carry the burden of that abuse for the rest of her life. In a victim impact statement read at sentencing, she described anxiety about going to work, fear around men, migraines, stomach illness and lost wages after leaving her job. The perpetrator, meanwhile, gets to enjoy a cushy 18 months at home with his family and carrying on with his life. Where is the justice in that?
Justice Isabelle Michaud said the crime could have warranted a harsher sentence, but cited
mitigating factors that supposedly lower the risk of reoffending, including family support, employment and the absence of a prior criminal record. Lello’s is a family-run business. Where was that family support while this young woman was being sexually assaulted? If it did not prevent the crime, why should it be trusted to prevent reoffending? Being a “contributing member of society” offers little reassurance when that contribution includes harming women.
Crown prosecutor Simon Pelletier said the offender does not pose a risk to public safety because no further crimes have been reported since the incident. That logic is dangerously flawed.
What should be done? Sexual predators belong behind bars. An 18-month sentence should be served in prison, not on a couch.
If we are serious about protecting the vulnerable, then sentences must reflect the gravity of the crime. Prison is not excessive for sexual criminals — it is appropriate. Anything less is not mercy. It is complicity.