VICTORIA -- A former youth badminton coach who was convicted of multiple charges of sexually assaulting young boys in Victoria has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Harry Sadd, 74, pleaded guilty to eight charges of sexually assaulting young boys in the Victoria area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
On Monday, Sadd was handed an eight-year sentence but he will only serve six years and eight months after he was given credit for time served.
One victim, who CTV News agreed not to identify, said he was abused by Sadd from the time he was nine years old until he was 15, including during a camping trip the coach took him on. He is now 51.
Last month, the Victoria courtroom received victim impact statements from three men who were boys at the time of the offences.
Lawyers for the Crown argued Sadd groomed his victims from his position of trust as a badminton coach and friend to vulnerable young boys. The Crown told the court that Sadd gave alcohol to some of his victims.
The Crown was asking for a sentence of 10 years in prison and placement on the sex offender registry for 20 years.
Sadd's defence counsel noted that a forensic psychologist examined his history for a period of 30 years.
Dr. Mel Stangland reported that Sadd displayed a sexually violent and chronic path in his early years, but had not offended in the past 30 years.
Sadd is also reported to have fully disclosed his offences to the psychologist, who said he does regret his behaviour.
Stangland suggested Sadd was at a very low risk to reoffend.
