Dangerous offender sentenced to more than a decade for sexual assault of teen girl

A man guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to more than a decade in prison Friday afternoon, nearly two and a half years after he was convicted.

Phillip Lionel Levac, 35, was convicted of two counts of sexual assault in June 2020.

Justice Graeme Mitchell sentenced Levac to 10 years in prison for the first offence and 14 years for the second offence. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Levac has spent most of his adult life in custody, according to Mitchell.

Factoring in his time already served in remand, Levac’s total sentence equals 10 years and three months, which will be served at a federal prison in British Columbia.

“The prospect of recidivism in Mr. Levac’s case is very high,” Mitchell said while reading his written decision out loud in court.

Levac committed two separate assaults against a girl who was 14 at the time. Both incidents took place at Levac’s Regina home in April 2018.

The victim, who is now 18, cannot be named due to a publication ban.

Levac was also charged with two counts of sexual interference stemming from the same incidents. However, those charges were stayed at the request of the crown.

Eleven witnesses testified during the trial, which began in December 2019.

Both the girl and Levac told court that they met in the weight room at the Fieldhouse and Lawson Aquatic Centre in April 2018. Levac agreed to be her trainer, but the relationship extended outside of the gym.

Evidence showed hundreds of messages were exchanged between the teenager and Levac leading up to the sexual assaults.

The teenager said she went to Levac’s house on two occasions to “hang out.” He sexually assaulted her both times.

In her victim impact statement, the teenager said she suffered from flashbacks and had difficulty sleeping long after the sexual assaults.

“I spent countless hours replaying the incidents in my head to see what I did wrong. I blamed myself for the longest time,” she said.

Although the victim has had time to heal, she said the incidents are still impacting her life.

“This might sound crazy but I forgive you,” she wrote in her statement.

“Not for you, but for myself, even though forgiving you is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.”

Justice Mitchell considered the effects of the trauma aggravating factors when making his decision.

“It is apparent that (the victim) continues to suffer severe psychological trauma,” Mitchell said.

Another aggravating factor was Levac’s lengthy criminal record that dates back to 2002 and includes violent sexual assaults among other crimes.

Mitchell ruled Levac a dangerous offender in September 2022. Public safety was one of the reasons behind his lengthy sentence.

The crown sought a 20-year prison sentence for Levac, eight years for the first offence and 12 years for the second offence to be served one after the other.

The defence recommended a 10-year total sentence.

“It’s a significant sentence but not quite what we asked for,” said crown prosecutor Roger DeCorby.

“I think (the family is) mostly relieved that the trial was over, that the convictions were entered and I think they are trying to move on from the whole process.”

The sentencing decision comes two and a half years after Levac was convicted.

DeCorby said the sentencing process was delayed because Levac assaulted a fellow inmate in the provincial corrections centre. He was charged and convicted with aggravated assault before being sentenced on the sexual assault indictments.

Following Levac’s sentence, he will be placed under a 10-year long-term supervision order. He will also be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Levac will have 30 days to appeal the decision.