'Why did this happen to me?': Young sexual assault victim speaks at man's sentencing

WARNING: This story contains details of a sexual assault against a child.

A young girl and her parents say their trust is forever broken after she was sexually assaulted by Terrance Soucy, 52, while he was a guest in their home.

"I trusted him so much, and now it's really hard for me to trust people," the victim told the Court of King's Bench in Saint John on Monday, reading her victim impact statement aloud.

"I only feel safe with my family and my best friend," she said.

A jury found Soucy guilty April 1 of sexual assault, sexual touching and invitation to sexual touching.

During his testimony, Soucy, of Apohaqui, a roughly nine-kilometre drive southwest of Sussex, described himself as a karate instructor. Social media posts indicate he was also a baseball coach and that he served on the executive of Sussex Minor Hockey.

4 incidents in 2023

A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the girl, who was under the age of 10 when the incidents occurred.

Clutching a blanket and a teddy bear, she previously testified that Soucy touched her private parts under her clothing on four separate occasions in 2023. 

In each instance, she said, she was playing a video game on a computer in her family's living room when Soucy sat down beside her.

Felt sad, scared, confused

"What happened to me made me feel really sad, scared, and confused," the victim said Monday, during Soucy's sentencing hearing.

"I kept asking myself, 'Why did this happen to me?' I felt mad and hurt inside," she said.

"For a long time, I thought what he did was somehow my fault."

She wore big hoodies to try to hide her body, she said.

"I didn't want anyone to look at me. … I didn't want to be seen."

She cried a lot, didn't eat much because her stomach "hurt all the time," and suffered night terrors.

At school, she had a hard time focusing, and she was too afraid to go anywhere else because she feared she would see him, she said.

"Just hearing his name made me feel really nervous and shaky."

Entire family affected, mother says

The entire family has been affected, the girl's mother told the court.

They all had to watch her "go through something no child should ever have to face."

"I saw her pull away from us, have emotional outbursts, and cry uncontrollably," she said, noting she got called at work two or three times a week to pick her up from school or help calm her down, and drove her to numerous medical appointments in Fredericton to try to "figure out what was going on with her."

I watched my little girl slowly lose parts of who she used to be.- Victim's mother

"I watched my little girl slowly lose parts of who she used to be."

The ordeal has also had a "huge impact" on her personally — emotionally, physically and financially, she said. She needed a prescription to help with anxiety and counselling to help her understand this wasn't her fault.

"I let Terry into our home," the mother said. "I trusted him. … And he broke that trust in the worst way. He didn't just hurt us — he tore apart the sense of safety and trust we had.

"Now, I struggle to trust anyone. I've built a wall around myself, and honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to let it down again."

The girl's father said it's been like a nightmare he can't wake up from.

Soucy has broken their trust forever, he said.

"We will never forget."

Crown seeks 6-year sentence

Crown prosecutor Michael Blackier is seeking a six-year prison sentence, citing the gravity of the offence, the moral blameworthiness of Soucy, the impact on the victim and her family, and case law, including a Supreme Court of Canada case.

"There's a clear message that needs to be sent that for denunciation and deterrence, both specific and general, for the accused and for society, to understand that the courts are going to take a strong approach to this type of offence," he said.

Defence lawyer Rod Macdonald argued two years would be an "appropriate sentence," and cautioned against assessing lack of remorse as an aggravating factor, "in a case where a verdict is not accepted and appeal is being contemplated."

Soucy speaks

Soucy maintains his innocence and reiterated this when he addressed the court Monday.

"I have great remorse for how these events have impacted my family, my friends, and my community," he said from the prisoner's box, as four women supporters looked on from the front row.

"It is my sincerest hope that the victim receives the assistance she needs to guide her through this and overcome any trauma experienced over the past couple of years," he said.

"I acknowledge that I have been convicted of these crimes, but we do not agree with the decision of the jury, and I'll maintain my innocence of these charges."

Justice Arthur Doyle set over sentencing until May 20. He previously noted the minimum sentence for each of the charges is one year in jail. Soucy remains remanded in custody.

Outside court, the girl's mother told reporters no matter how long a sentence Soucy gets, it's "not going to fix anything."

He took a young girl's "innocence away," and it's been "two years of hell" for the family, she said.

They hope there's no appeal, she said, but for now they're just focused on trying to heal and move forward.