Former N.W.T. nurse convicted for child pornography speaks at sentencing hearing
Mario Laplante was working at the Whatì health centre at the time of his arrest
WARNING: This story contains distressing information on child pornography.
A former nurse who previously worked in Whatì, N.W.T., and was convicted for possessing child porn said he recognizes he is at fault for what he did.
Mario Laplante, who in 2019 admitted to possession and distribution of child pornography, spoke in court on Thursday afternoon during his sentencing hearing.
"Of course I'm responsible for why I'm here," he began his remarks. "It's not the fault of anyone else. It's mine."
Laplante said he knew downloading and watching those images and videos was illegal, but "I did not understand how down I went through that darkness. I understand now."
On Wednesday, the court heard from two people directly affected by Laplante's crimes. The first was a woman who was sexually abused as a child, and whose image was found in Laplante's collection. She described the lasting impacts of the abuse she experienced as a child: "I suffer every day," she said.
The second was the mother of a child whose image was in the collection who said her child's life has been forever changed by the abuse she experienced.
Laplante, 65, was found to have downloaded thousands of images and videos of children in an approximately three-month span. The victims ranged in age from infants to young teenagers.
Laplante had worked as a nurse for over 30 years and was working at the Whatì health centre at the time of his arrest, and has since been fired.
He told the court he never abused a child at work — and would ask a female nurse to be in the room when he performed exams on children.
On Thursday, Crown prosecutors Morgan Fane and Jill Andrews asked Justice Louise Charbonneau to sentence Laplante to between three and a half and four years in custody for distributing child pornography, with a concurrent three-year sentence for possession.
They said this would reflect the seriousness of the crimes, and that Laplante was "highly morally responsible" for what he did.
Defense lawyer Mallorie Malone asked for a sentence of three years, with credit for time served — and that Laplante be sentenced to federal custody and transferred to Ontario, so he could be closer to his wife.
Malone said Laplante was glad to be arrested "because it acted as a wake-up call," and that he was cooperative with the investigation from the start.
She also said he sought out mental health treatment since his arrest, and two experts in that field told the court he is unlikely to reoffend.
Crown and defense lawyers agreed that when Laplante is released from custody, he will not be allowed to take a job that puts him in a position of authority over children or have unsupervised access to children under the age of 16.
Justice Charbonneau indicated that she intends to issue her decision in April.