P.E.I. music instructor gets 6 years in prison for sexual abuse of teen

A member of P.E.I.'s arts community has been sentenced to six years in prison for sexually touching a young person, in a case that the prosecutor says marks a step up in the length of sentences on the Island for sex crimes against youth.

Fiddle player and music instructor Aaron Crane, 37, was taken into custody Tuesday after sentencing in P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown.

Crane was criminally charged last March in connection with sexual incidents that went on for months with a teenage girl who took music lessons from him. He pleaded guilty in September to sexual interference.

"Despite his remorse and regret, I am not convinced that he understands what he did," said Justice Terri MacPherson as she handed down sentence. "I am not convinced that he understands that he is a sexual offender.

"It is time for this unlawful conduct to end. The community abhors this type of behaviour."

Crane first met the girl when she came to him for music lessons as a pre-teen, according to agreed facts presented previously in court. Crane had a habit of hugging the girl at the conclusion of her lessons, the court heard, and his touching escalated to sexual intercourse a few years after he met her.

Court heard Crane would pick the girl up late at night, or during her school day, to take her to his apartment for sex. On one occasion he obtained a morning-after pill, when she feared she might become pregnant.

"He lured her into a situation where he was behaving as her boyfriend," said MacPherson. "It's an example of how effective the insidious practice of grooming and luring victims can be."

MacPherson told court that sentences on P.E.I. for sex crimes against children have been too low in the past, and that the Supreme Court of Canada now recommends years in prison sentences of "mid-single digits or higher."

The judge said the age gap between Crane and his victim was an aggravating factor. So were his efforts to keep the abuse secret, the frequency and duration of the incidents, and the breach of trust as the girl's music instructor.

"He was bold and defiant," said MacPherson.

Crown prosecutor Lisa Goulden had called for a prison sentence of seven to nine years. She based that on a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada last year directing sentencing judges to place greater weight on harm done to victims.

"Previously, focus seemed to be on circumstances of the offender," Goulden said outside court Tuesday after sentencing. "Sentencing, with respect to sexual violence against children, was out of step."

Defence lawyer Conor Mullin had called for a sentence of 27 to 48 months. Crane had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty, and at a previous court appearance had stood up to apologize to the girl and her family.

Court also heard Tuesday that Crane's car was vandalized last fall, with the word "pedophile" spray-painted on it.

At sentencing, the judge said Crane had made significant contributions to the Island arts community through music performance and instruction.

A publication ban on the victim's identify remains in place. The girl had previously asked the judge to lift the ban, but MacPherson ruled against that Tuesday.

"Rather than make a decision in the heat of a very emotional situation, this gives her time to consider what she really wants and what that would mean," said Goulden, outside court.

The judge told the girl she can ask again to have the ban lifted when she's older.

Crane was ordered to provide a DNA sample for the national sex offender registry and is banned from possessing weapons for 10 years after he gets out of prison.

The judge declined to impose an order that Crane stay away from parks and playgrounds and other places where young people gather.

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