P.E.I. man sentenced to 4.5 years for molesting 3 young girls

WARNING: This story reports on the sexual abuse of children.

An Island man will spend four and a half years in federal prison for molesting three daughters of his former partner.

CBC is not naming the man to protect the identity of the children.

As he passed sentence Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Gordon Campbelltold the man he had "robbed these children of their childhood."

"Instead of showing them what a loving, caring, parental relationship consists of, he breached his position of trust and repeatedly abused his stepdaughters for hisown sexual gratification," said the Campbell.

"They are left with anger, hurt, confusion and uncertainty as to which parties in their lives they can trust."

A sexual deviance assessment found the man a low risk to re-offend.However, the judge saidthe man"has shown no remorse andaccepted no responsibility for his actions."

All three girls were under 16 during the years the assaults took place.

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The Crown had asked for six years in prison, while the defence recommended two years in prison.

'This will not define me,' says one victim

The three girls read theirvictim impact statementsaloud at the sentencing, reflecting the emotional pain they've endured and the struggles they still face.

"He should have been the one checking for monsters under my bed, keeping me safe, not being one," said one.

"He made it seem so normal. He twisted everything around and blamed my mom," another girl told the court. "It's so hard to understand why someone would do that to a child."

"He turned a child's world into a nightmare," said the third girl, referring to years of abuse.

All three girls said they will move on from the abuse.

"I have grown stronger now This will not define me," said the third girl.

The girls' mother also filed a victim impact statement with the court which was not read aloud, but which the judge did read before passing sentence.

Man found guilty on 8 charges

Justice Campbell found the man guilty last May of eight of the nine charges against him, including assault,sexual assault, sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching.

At his trial, the man claimed he was performing checkups on the children at the request of their mother.

The three girls testified the man would enter their bedrooms and touch their genitals, claiming he was checking for infections.

They testified he also pretended to rape them to teach them how to protect themselves.

On one occasion he held one of the girls down, and forced her to perform oral sex.

The man testified their mother instructed him to do the so-called check-ups as part of his household duties.

He denied any wrong doing, and suggested his former partner and her children had conspired against him.

The judge found his version of events "incredible and unbelievable."

The man did not say anything prior to the judge imposing the sentence Tuesday. Apre-sentence report prepared for the court said he continues to deny that anything improper happened.

The conviction means the man's name will be placed on the National Sex Offender Registry and he isbanned from owning firearms when he's released.