A former Yorkton school bus driver has been sentenced to prison time on charges of sexual touching, while a sexual assault charge was stayed.
The man, 26, is named in the court’s decision only as “T.A.S.” and was handed the sentence in Yorkton last month.
Court heard the offences involved a girl, 14, and happened between 2014 and 2015, when T.A.S. was 22.
The accused was a school bus driver prior to and at the time the sexual touching occurred.
The victim, whose name is under a publication ban, was a regular passenger on the bus T.A.S. drove for three years prior to but not at the time of any of the offences.
The victim began texting T.A.S. frequently in June 2014, and this continued over the next few months despite T.A.S. asking she stop.
When he returned to work that September, the victim got on his bus and said she wouldn’t leave unless he agreed to talk to her, doing so multiple times before T.A.S. agreed to meet. He picked her up that night and they kissed at the victim’s behest before he touched her sexually.
Three more similar encounters happened throughout the following months, some happening after the victim threatened suicide.
T.A.S. was then arrested in late January of 2015. He had no prior criminal record and has a minor learning disability, but court found that it wouldn’t affect his decision making.
However, in his decision Justice Brian Barrington Foote said T.A.S. was “in some respects, naïve, emotionally immature, submissive, and had difficulty responding to some social situations. Those characteristics affected his willingness and ability to resist the victim’s advances, including her threats of self-harm.”
T.A.S. has been sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by one year’s probation. He’ll also be placed on the sex offender registry for 20 years.
Once T.A.S. is on probation, he’s court ordered to not contact the victim and can’t be in the company of anyone under the age of sixteen unless approved by a probation officer. He’s considered to be at a low risk to reoffend.
