A local man has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual interference with victims who were 12 and six years old.
The charges against Konstantinos Spyromilios first came about earlier this year, though the offences occurred over a span of a few months in late 2011. The 23-year-old Spyromilios, a resident of Milestone, has known the parents of the victims for about 15 years.
Crown prosecutor Erin Schroh asked for a jail term of between 12 and 15 months.
She told the court that the offences occurred overnight at the victims' home. Spyromilius has some relationship with the family but is not directly related. Schroh said it wasn't uncommon for him to spend a few nights each week at the victims' house or cabin.
He typically slept on the bottom bunk, beneath the six-year-old victim, as it was the only spare bed in the house.
When the young girl was sleeping, he would pull her pants and underwear down and touch her. She would awaken with her pants pulled down.
"He touched her with a circular motion with his finger on her bum once, and on other nights she had awakened to find that he had pulled down her pants," said Schroh.
She said the 12-year-old victim said he touched her on multiple occasions, three of which she could remember. All occurred at night.
"The first was when (Spyromilios) got in her bed and rubbed her stomach. When he saw that she was awake, he went and stood in the corner of the room. The second time was pretty much the same thing but went lower below her belly button. The third time at their cabin, she was lying on her side and the accused put his hands down her pants, rubbed between her buttocks and touched her anus."
When she rolled over, he went to his bed and shone the light from his cellphone on her to see if she was sleeping.
"She pretended to sleep because she was scared, and then he proceeded to come back over and do it again."
She said the victim couldn't sleep that night because she was scared.
Both girls reported waking up to find him watching them.
One girl told her parents about one incident of finding him in their room at night.
"At that time it was reasoned that he might have been sleep walking, and they kind of laughed it off."
The parents were "completely" taken off guard when they heard what was happening.
"The victims' father indicated that the girls idolized the accused. I think it's a fair representation to say that the family was shocked."
Schroh noted Spyromilios has no criminal record, adding that the touching was brief. She said however, that there were multiple incidents, as well as more than one victim, and there was a significant violation of trust, as he was someone who was trusted by the family to be around the girls, even at night when they were sleeping.
Mark Brayford represented Spyromilios and noted he had written a letter of apology to the victims and family, as well as having sought counselling.
In the letter, Spyromilios wrote, "What I did was inexcusable. I don't know why I did it. Any reason I give you will sound hollow and selfish. I did it, and I'm sorry. I don't want this to drag out. I don't want the girls to have to go through this horrible situation of court procedures. All I can hope for is that my actions do not affect the girls in any long-term way. I am so ashamed of what I did and the damage to the girls and damage to the family. I am sorry that any of us had to deal with this because of my selfish, desperate and disgusting actions."
Brayford requested a period of incarceration of nine months. The minimum jail term for these offences is 45 days.
Judge Kenn Bellerose said children are a "component of society that requires protection.
"They just want to be children. This experience will be very traumatic for them. It is something they will remember the rest of their lives. It must have been very terrifying for them, being subjected to that particular experience."
Bellerose accepted Spyromilios's remorse as a mitigating factor, along with the fact that he's taken steps to get help.
"You want to understand why you did this. There has to be some reason, which I don't understand as to why you would do that to two children, who obviously looked up to you."
Bellerose sentenced him to two one-year jail terms that will run concurrently.
Spyromilios must provide a sample of DNA for the RCMP database, he will be subject to a 10-year firearms and ammunition prohibition, will not be able to be employed or volunteer for a job which would put him in contact with children under 16 for five years and will be an occupant of the sex offender registry for 20 years. He is also to have no contact with the victims.
