Sex offender pleads guilty to assaulting N.W.T. children

A convicted sex offender has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two boys while babysitting them several years ago in Hay River, N.W.T.

John Murray Melanson, 46, entered the plea Monday at the N.W.T. Supreme Court in Yellowknife. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to comply with a probation order.

The sexual assaults took place in September 2006 in Hay River, where the New Brunswick native had been working as a cook for six months.

Images found

Court heard that Melanson had gained enough trust to babysit some people's children in Hay River, but that ended when the father of the two boys found images on Melanson's laptop of children having sex.

The father went to the RCMP with what he had found, also telling police that his children started exhibiting unusually sexual behaviour after Melanson had been alone with them.

The names of the two boys, who were both under the age of 10, are protected by a publication ban.

In addition to the sexual assaults, Melanson had also breached a probation order that required him to not possess pornography of any kind, not to be alone with children under the age of 14, and not to possess a computer with internet access.

Volunteered at school, library

While in Hay River, Melanson was affectionately dubbed "Fester" because of his resemblance to a character on the popular television series The Addams Family.

Residents have said Melanson volunteered at the local high school and library, even playing the part of Santa Claus at the library's Christmas party for children.

But people he met in the town of 3,650 were shocked to learn later that Melanson had about 50 previous convictions for offences that include sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, and possession and distribution of child pornography.

Melanson fled Hay River in January 2007 amid rumours about the child pornography found on his computer. He was arrested in Toronto a month later.

Melanson is being transported to Toronto on Tuesday to undergo a psychiatric assessment at the Crown's request.

Prosecutor Shannon Smallwood told the court on Monday that she wanted Melanson to be assessed because of his long criminal history. Melanson is allowed to hire his own psychiatrist to challenge any negative conclusions drawn by the assessment.

After the psychiatric assessment is complete, the Crown will decide whether to ask the court to have Melanson declared a dangerous or long-term offender.