Nunavut teacher to serve 8 years in prison for abusing school children
Judge says sentence to encourage communities to break the 'culture of silence' around sexual assault
Former Nunavut teacher Johnny Meeko will serve more than eight years in federal prison for sexually abusing school children in Sanikiluaq.
In December, Meeko was found guilty of 27 charges for crimes committed between 1972 and 2007. He originally faced 32 sex-related charges, and he pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Many of his victims were eight or nine-year-old girls in elementary school. Eight women, and one man, testified against their former teacher at the judge-alone trial that started in 2015.
Justice Neil Sharkey delivered his sentence Thursday morning at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit.
"Johnny abused his position of trust," Sharkey wrote in his sentencing. "He abused the trust of the children in his charge as well as the trust of his community, which places great faith in the integrity of teachers."
In a video-conference from Sanikiluaq, some survivors were seen hugging each other as the sentencing was read.
Sentenced to 9.5 years
The judge issued judicial stays on 13 counts because they relate to the same criminal activity as the remaining 14 convictions. The sentences for each offence ranged from one month to three years, most to be served consecutively.
Sharkey said that added up to 14 years and six months in prison.
The judge then reduced that total by five years according to the principle of totality, which is an adjustment made to consider the culpability of the offender and his age, and to avoid "crushing" any hope for rehabilitation. Meeko is 63 years old.
When factoring all of these things, Sharkey sentenced Meeko to nine years and six months in federal prison.
The sentence was reduced by another one year and five months for time Meeko served in custody. In total, he will serve eight years and one month in prison.
Meeko is also prohibited from contacting victims while he is in prison and from contacting minors under 16 years old for five years, unless another adult is present.
Sharkey's decision also includes an order that prohibits Meeko from using a firearm for 10 years, with an exception for hunting.
Encouraging victims to come forward
Sharkey told the courtroom that his sentencing is intended to encourage victims of sexual abuse to report abuse.
"Year in and year out, [Meeko] remained confident that none of his young victims would dare complain, or if they did, they would not be believed," Sharkey said in his sentencing.
Sharkey said families and communities need to reverse a "culture of silence" that exists in Nunavut.
He pointed to organizations like Pauktuutit, which supports Inuit women in Canada and plays a role in educating communities about sexual abuse.
The court can also send a message that sexual predators will face consequences and survivors will be taken seriously when they come forward, Sharkey said.
"It was not until 2012 that Johnny Meeko's victims were able to muster the courage to come forward and complain to the police," Sharkey said in his judgment.
"No sentence I impose today will undo the damage which Johnny Meeko has caused these victims."
The sentence comes after a civil case of a prominent businessman in Igloolik, Ike Haulli, who was found liable for nearly 20 years of sexual abuse toward four people dating back to the 1960s.
Meeko, surrounded by two guards, said goodbye to his wife before leaving the courtroom on Thursday morning.
Meeko will be back in court May 7 to deal with accusations of breaching his bail conditions.
Corrections
- A previous version of this story initially said Johnny Meeko was sentenced to eight years in prison, then corrected to 14 years. In fact, he was sentenced 9.5 years. With credit for time served, he has eight years and a month left on his sentence.Apr 26, 2018 10:20 AM CT