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
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.