FORT ST. JOHN -- More than year after it began, the sentence hearing for a Fort St. John veterinarian, who pled guilty to sexual assault, continues to drag on.
Justin Sewell plead guilty to sexual assault back in November of 2022.The sentencing was again adjourned in July. It started again on Tuesday in Fort St. John and is expected to wrap up on Friday.
On Thursday the Crown finished entering submissions. The prosecution is now asking for federal prison time of 4.5 years for Sewell. The defence asked the court that there be no form of incarceration or penalty.
Fort St. John RCMP announced the charges against the local veterinarian, including sexual assault, overcoming resistance to commission of the offence and two counts of voyeurism in 2022.
The judge in the case has kept allowing evidence to be submitted during the sentencing. That decision has considerably slowed down the sentencing process that began last July.
The judge in the case admitted Thursday he will not be able to deliver a verdict by Friday.
RCMP says the incident occurred in 2007 in Charlie Lake when Sewell was 31 years old. Police began investigating the case after they were made aware of the allegations in 2019.
Sewell pled guilty to one count of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurism. According to court documents, he sexually assaulted the victim and secretly observed/ recorded nudity or sexual activity in a private place.
The judge imposed two publication bans to prevent the victim and witnesses from being identified.
