Man convicted of abuse of stepdaughters, including rape of oldest when she was 21 years old

A 40 year old London, Ontario man was convicted of abusing his two stepdaughters, who only came forward after he raped a London, ON woman in a stranger rape. The culmination of the abuse was an incident with his 21 year old stepdaughter.

The London Free Press has more in their Man, 40, pleads guilty to years of sexual abuse:

He pleaded guilty to six charges -- two for sexual interference with a person under the age of 14, two of sexual assault for the years of abuse and one of sexual assault and forcible confinement for the Port Huron incident.

"I can't think of any more serious allegations," said Ontario Court Justice Ted McGrath, after hearing the shocking facts read by assistant Crown attorney Karen Bellehumeur.

Bellehumeur said the man picked up the 21-year-old stepdaughter at work on Dec. 11, 2006, for a Michigan shopping trip. They shopped, then checked into the hotel where the woman fell asleep. She woke up to find herself being duct-taped to the bedposts. Her stepfather then duct-taped her mouth shut and blindfolded her. Before having sex with her, he put a thong on her and took photos.

The woman decided not to fight after she saw what she thought was a handgun on the nightstand when the blindfold slipped off her eyes, Bellehumeur said.
The man fell asleep. The next morning, the woman was still tied to the bed and he had sex with her again. The man said nothing about the attack but later suggested they could be "sex buddies" and he would pay her rent.

When the victim and her stepfather went back into Canada at the Sarnia crossing, border guards were suspicious after finding a BB gun shoved down the man's pants. They searched the trunk and found video equipment and sex toys, but let the pair go. Two weeks later, the man raped a woman in London, ON, and was attrsted with the rape kit used in the trunk. Only then did the stepdaughters comeforward to tell their story of brutalization and abuse.

Bellehumeur said the man began to abuse his stepdaughters in 1996, when he would often steal into their bedroom wearing only underwear and sexually touch the older girl, then 11.
Sometimes he would turn to the younger girl, but the older girl would pull him away and tell him to abuse her to protect her nine-year-old sister.

The younger stepdaughter told of various sex acts she was forced into by the man.
Bellehumeur read the victim impact statement of the older stepdaughter who wrote she is too scared to leave her house, and can't eat or sleep. "I no longer have a life because of what you did to me," she wrote. The younger stepdaughter read her statement to the court.
"You made me feel lower than dirt," she said to the man and described flashbacks, paranoia with strangers and depression.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 17, with the Crown (Canadian federal prosecutors) and the defense planning to submit a request for 10 years in prison to be served consecutively with the 5 year sentence for the London rape.

Since the assault on the 21 year old victim occured in Michigan, and a weapon was used, then he commited 1st degree criminal sexual conduct in Michigan - a crime which carries a life maximum prison sentence. Michigan authorities could concievably charge him with 1st degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.

MCL 750.520b (CSC I—Penetration) provides:

"(1) A person is guilty of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree if he or she engages in sexual penetration with another person and if any of the following circumstances exists:

"(e) The actor is armed with a weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a weapon.