Man sentenced for twice raping B.C. woman who considered him ‘like an uncle’

A statue of Themis, Goddess of Justice, in the B.C. Supreme Court building in downtown Vancouver on June 26, 2024 (Zak Vescera / Investigative Journalism Foundation and CTV News)

Warning: This story contains details readers may find disturbing.

A man who twice raped an “intoxicated, vulnerable” woman who thought of him “like an uncle” has been sentenced to three years in prison, according to a recent court decision.

Darren Robert Sorensen, 60, was convicted after a jury trial earlier this year and sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court last month.

Justice Christopher Greenwood’s decision begins by noting Sorensen was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and then describes him as “an individual of otherwise good character with strong ties to the community.”

The court heard Sorensen raped the woman, identified only as J.H. as her name is protected by a publication ban, at her home on two separate occasions while her fiancé slept in the next room.

“Mr. Sorensen was a close family friend. J.H. remembered him from a camping trip when she was a young girl and from family get togethers. There was no familial relationship, but she considered him to be like an uncle,” the decision said.

Sorensen’s lawyer argued for a conditional sentence of two years less a day, while the Crown was seeking three to four years in federal prison.

Greenwood determined time in custody was warranted in this case, rhyming off a number of aggravating factors.

“There was highly invasive sexual conduct; repeated occurrences; taking advantage of the victim’s state of intoxication; attempting to control the event by telling J.H. to be quiet; the violations occurring within the victim’s home; and the foreseeable harm to the victim’s mental and psychological well being, a harm that came to pass as is evident by the victim impact statement,” the judge wrote.

The court heard the impact on J.H was “profound” and included a pervasive sense of shame, feelings of powerlessness, and a reluctance to interact with people – particularly men.

“J.H. sees herself as a different person since these offences and has become less trusting of others, less joyous, and has suffered symptoms that she described of PTSD, depression, anxiety, self blame, and panic attacks, among other difficulties,” the judge wrote.

“She described the events as having shattered her trust, serenity, and innocence.”

The judge considered Sorensen’s lack of criminal record, pursuit of counselling, and ties to the community as mitigating.

Greenwood also found Sorensen did not appear to demonstrate a “high degree of true remorse.” Describing his actions as an “affair” and not sexual assault showed, the judge said, a lack of insight into the “the inherent violence of the offence, or the harm caused by it.” He therefore declined to give weight to remorse as a mitigating factor in the case.

“If the path to remorse is a journey, Mr. Sorensen has not yet arrived at the destination,” the judge wrote.

Sorensen was sentenced to three years for each count of sexual assault, with the prison terms to be served concurrently. He was also ordered to submit a DNA sample and prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years after his release from custody.

Although Sorensen’s defence argued an order to register as a sex offender was not warranted, the judge disagreed and imposed one for 20 years.

“I am unable to draw the conclusion that there is no connection between the making of the order and the investigation or prevention of sexual crimes in the future,” Greenwood wrote.