B.C. musician and former pastor sentenced for sexual assault
Warning: This story contains a description of a sexual assault.
A Vancouver Island musician and former church pastor will serve three months of house arrest, followed by 18 months of probation, after he was convicted of one count of sexual assault.
Jason Jonathan Eric Zerbin, 35, was sentenced last week for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman whom he met while he was a pastor and music director at God's Garden Church in Victoria.
Zerbin was 28 years old at the time of the offence and his role as a salaried pastor at the church had ended, according to a provincial court judge's sentencing decision published Friday.
Judge Ted Gouge found that Zerbin attended a picnic with church members in May 2015 at a beach in Sooke, B.C.
During the course of the evening, Zerbin laid down under a blanket with the young woman and put his hand on her hip, then "down the front of her pants to her pubic area and rubbed her genitals through her underwear," Gouge wrote.
The woman "rolled away from him, and he stopped touching her immediately."
Three months later, Zerbin wrote an email apologizing to the victim and her parents, expressing shame, remorse and "a depth of embarrassment," according to a transcript from the court record.
The judge convicted Zerbin of one count of sexual assault on May 10, 2022.
A victim impact statement provided to the court described the woman's loss of faith and onset of anxiety and depression in the years since the assault.
The Crown prosecutor in the case sought a three-month conditional sentence, followed by a period of probation. Zerbin's defence lawyer argued for a conditional discharge and probation.
Zerbin’s lawyer also sought to exempt him from having to provide a DNA sample and register with the federal sex offender registry, saying his registration would disproportionately affect him by restricting his ability to travel for business.
Zerbin is the proprietor of a music recording business, the judge wrote. The business requires him to travel internationally, especially to the United States, according to his lawyer.
The judge declined the exemption request and ordered Zerbin to comply with the Sex Offender Information Registration Act for 10 years.
Among the conditions of Zerbin's three-month sentence are that he remain at home between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily, and not possess or consume any intoxicating substances without a medical prescription.
He is also ordered to remain in B.C. unless he obtains permission to leave the province from either the court or his conditional sentence supervisor.
Zerbin is not allowed within 10 metres of the victim. He must leave her presence immediately, without words or gestures, if he encounters her and is not to have any direct or indirect communication with her.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Speaker kicks Poilievre out of Commons over unparliamentary comments
Speaker Greg Fergus kicked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre out of the House of Commons during question period today.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.