On the day her attacker was sentenced to 15.5 years in prison, one of Eric Johnson’s victims spoke of the anguish inflicted upon her, but also offered words of encouragement to young people who may be suffering sexual abuse.
“Do it, (report) it,” the young woman said when asked what she would say to someone who is being abused but afraid to come forward. “… It will make (perpetrators) realize that this isn’t OK. This has to stop.
“It was four years of my life that I lost, and I’m still trying to find it. Yes, I have family, friends, I have support, but at the same time even they have (told me) that they can’t understand it. The only person that can understand what (you’re going through) is you. If something feels wrong, say something. Silence doesn’t help."
An older family member offered this perspective: “We cuddle them when they are having their nightmares and try to (provide) them with what they lost.”
Superior Court Justice Annette Casullo was clearly moved by the plight of Johnson’s two victims, stifling tears at one point just before passing sentence.
“Out of the darkness there can be light,” she told them.
The judge had a complicated legal case to navigate in landing on an appropriate sentence where the Crown had asked for 20 years and the defence had countered with a request for 10 to 12.
Johnson is Indigenous and had suffered abuse himself growing up in an extremely disadvantaged environment that included seeing close relatives die young through addiction, by suicide and by being murdered.
Court heard details of how Johnson himself became a horrific abuser, some of the details of which Casullo worked through on Thursday after a more extensive hearing was held in December.
The Barrie man had been convicted of a string of sex-related offences against both girls in 2023.
Johnson groomed both victims and subjected them to horrendous physical and sexual trauma over multiple years while both were in their early teens.
Though gainfully employed as a cook and in many ways a productive citizen, in the 15-year period in which he separately molested both girls, Johnson led a dark, parallel life. He also already had a criminal record that included a previous sexual assault.
In the end, Casullo ruled Johnson’s case warranted an 18-year sentence, but reduced it by 30 months in line with the guidelines set down in a Gladue report.
Gladue reports are a relatively new facet of Canadian criminal law that attempt to put crimes committed by Indigenous offenders in proper historical context without necessarily leading to lighter sentences.
Another wrinkle to the case was Johnson failing to turn up for his original sentencing hearing 13 months ago. He was arrested the next day and has been in custody since.
Those 13 months translated to roughly 770 days per another set of guidelines that grants enhanced credit for pre-sentence custody, including time spent in lockdown where Johnson has been held at Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.
The sentencing math means Johnson has about 13.5 years left to serve on top of the 13 months he has already been in custody.
Casullo did her level best to make Thursday’s focus on doing right by the victims, including offering one final wish to that they could find happiness in life.
She also cited mitigating factors that worked in Johnson’s favour, including that he apologized at an earlier hearing.
After he was sentenced, Johnson appeared to offer words of encouragement to one of his children who was in the body of the court. He then extended his arms to be handcuffed and was led away in shackles.
He will soon begin to serve his sentence at one of two institutions that have Indigenous programming, per Casullo’s recommendation on Thursday.
When released he must stay at least two kilometres away from both of his victims.
