N.S. psychotherapist gets 3 years in prison for 2 sexual assaults

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

A Nova Scotia psychotherapist has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting two women.

Dominic Jacob Deveau, 48, was sentenced Friday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Yarmouth.

Justice Pierre Muise said Deveau's crimes are more serious because he was in a position of trust and authority over both women. Muise also noted Deveau has a masters degree in psychology and should have known how his crimes would harm his victims.

The first assault occurred on March 3, 2019. Court was told Deveau drove his victim to a rural location and started kissing her aggressively, even though she objected.

Court heard that Deveau also tried to force the woman to perform oral sex. The woman said she "disconnected" from her body and had a flashback to a trauma she experienced as a teenager and went limp.

After the assault, Deveau drove the woman back to Yarmouth.

The woman told court she is chronically stressed, doesn't trust men and has a number of triggers, including seeing a blue Honda Civic — the type of car Deveau drove her in.

Muise said the woman was left in a fragile state.

"All she could do was drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and shake like a leaf," the judge said.

She ended up at a local women's shelter for a time.

Second assault at his home

Deveau was under an undertaking from a peace officer in December 2020 when he committed the second assault.

The court heard Deveau invited the second woman to his home, where they smoked a joint, then drove to Cape Forchu. They then returned to his home where, according to the court, they smoked a second joint and then Deveau pulled down his pants and demanded oral sex. The woman did not consent.

The judge noted that Deveau did not appear to feel much remorse. Deveau described the first assault to the author of his pre-sentence report as a "makeout session" that "crossed boundaries."

Muise disagreed. He described the assaults as "highly predatory acts, deliberately committed on victims he knew to be vulnerable."

The Crown had asked for a three-year sentence, while Deveau's lawyer was looking for house arrest. Muise said a conditional sentence order was not appropriate in this case and said that Deveau's risk to reoffend is "well above the minimal."

In addition to the prison term, Deveau's DNA will be added to a national data bank and his name to the national sex offender registry.  He's also required to stay away from his victims.

Deveau's licence to practice as a psychotherapist has been suspended since May 2021.