‘The devil made him do it:’ Ontario man sexually abused adopted daughter and family friend

An Ontario Superior Court of Justice courthouse in Toronto. Photo by Stan Behal/Postmedia

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On the New Year’s Eve she was 13, her 64-year-old sexual abuser told his adopted daughter, “the devil made him do it.”

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The man, now 68, is identified only by initials in a recent Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision sentencing him to nine years in prison for sexually abusing his adopted daughter and a family friend.

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“He told (his adopted daughter) that they would have to stop. He said that he felt guilty, was sorry for loving her in that way, and that the devil made him do it and that he had asked God for forgiveness,” Justice Jocelyn Speyer wrote in a May 22 decision.

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“A short while later, (he touched her) in a sexual manner again. After that, (she) realized that it was not going to stop, and told her older brother … what happened. Other family members became involved, and the police were contacted.”

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The abuser immigrated to Canada in 2002 with his wife and three children. He became a Canadian citizen and adopted several Zimbabwean and Botswanan orphans, including the one he sexually abused.

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“In her victim impact statement, (she) eloquently describes how her childhood was stolen from her,” Speyer said.

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“She was a child not fully aware of what was happening in the moment. She has experienced shame, anger, self-blame, numbness, anxiety, depression, betrayal, confusion and suicidal thoughts. Instead of learning what healthy love is like, she learned to associate love, as expressed to her by (her adoptive father), with fear, secrecy and silence. In her incredibly articulate victim impact statement, (she) revealed that the abuse did not just harm her body. It changed the way that she understands trust, and her ability to feel safe.”

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Her adoptive father abused the girl between October 2018 and December 2022.

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“At the time, (she) was between nine and thirteen years old,” Speyer said.

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He touched her “in a variety of ways that amounted to an egregious violation of her sexual integrity.”

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His wife helped the family of the other girl he sexually abused find a place to live when they immigrated to Canada. The court heard he was “like a grandfather” to the family’s daughter, and she addressed him as such.”It was customary for her to hug him as a form of greeting when the families visited together,” said the judge.

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“He was in the position of father to (one victim and grandfather to the other) and took advantage of his time alone with them when they were in his care.”

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He abused the family friend, starting when she was seven or eight, between 2017 and 2021.

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The court heard that “on many occasions, usually when he greeted her when she went to his house, (he hugged her) and kissed her with an open mouth, forcing his tongue into her mouth. This behaviour started when (she) was seven or eight years old. If (she) tried to keep her mouth shut, (he) would push through to get his tongue into her mouth,” said the decision, which notes he also once “touched her buttock and squished or groped it.”