Case of N.S. man accused of historical sexual abuse delayed again after judge denies guilty plea

The children of a Pictou County man accused of sexually abusing them when they were minors are disappointed a judge would not accept his guilty plea in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Thursday.

Douglas Guthro, 86, was charged in April with 16 counts of sexual violence after his son and two daughters came forward to make complaints in November 2023. His children, now in their 50s, claim he frequently sexually assaulted them between 1971 and 1990. 

Defence lawyer Pavel Boubnov told Justice Frank Hoskins that Guthro admits to sexually abusing his children and would plead guilty to eight of the 17 charges against him. However, Hoskins was not convinced Guthro fully understood the severity of the consequences that could come with a guilty plea. 

"As a threshold, I need to be satisfied that he is making a voluntary, unequivocal and informed plea to each of these offences," said Hoskins. 

Guthro attended the proceedings with a home care worker. He had trouble hearing and appeared confused at times. 

Hoskins spoke loudly into a microphone and often checked in with Guthro to ensure he understood what was going on, but the judge ultimately did not feel comfortable accepting the guilty plea. 

He told the defence to explain to Guthro what he is giving up by pleading guilty before they return to court in Pictou at the end of the month.

Guthro's son, Doug Robertson, said he believes his father is purposely acting this way to further delay the process. 

"I think the monster is just playing the game that he can't hear, can't understand what he's supposed to be doing," said Robertson, who recently changed his last name to avoid being associated with his father. 

The names of sexual assault victims, and any information that could identify them, are typically protected under a publication ban. But Robertson and his sisters asked in July that bans on their identities be lifted so they could share their experiences.

Susan Farrell and Sheri Colbert, Guthro's daughters who now reside in Ontario, told CBC in an email on Thursday afternoon that they were looking forward to this process coming to an end, but they are not surprised that things have been delayed again. 

"He hijacked what should have been a day of closure for his children," said the email. "It is a picture of a man who will continue to do anything to punish us and avoid owning the decisions he has made throughout his life." 

This is not the first time proceedings have been put over. In September, Guthro was told by a judge to retain a lawyer after showing up for his seventh court appearance without one.

Sentencing tentatively set for April 

Guthro will be back in court on Jan. 24 when the Crown and defence will present an agreed statement of facts. 

Senior Crown counsel Bill Gorman told CBC he expects the judge will accept a guilty plea from Guthro once this step is complete, which is why a tentative sentencing date has been set for April 11. 

"Because the Supreme Court docket is so busy and so congested, [Hoskins] wants to make sure the sentencing gets dealt with as promptly as possible. He's anticipating that once he receives the agreed statement of facts, there's not going to be any dispute with respect to the facts," said Gorman. 

For Robertson, his father's sentencing could not come soon enough. 

"Whatever time he got left, sit in prison … I just hope he rots. That's it," said Robertson.

If you are experiencing distress or overwhelming emotions at any time, you can call the Nova Scotia Provincial Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-888-429-8167. The Nova Scotia Provincial Crisis Service can also provide contacts for other crisis services that are available if you live outside Nova Scotia.

If you or someone you know is struggling in any way, you can call 211 or visit 211.ca. 211 offers help 24 hours a day in more than one hundred languages and will be able to connect you directly to the right services for your needs.

The Kids Help Phone is a national helpline that provides confidential support at 1-800-668-6868 or Text CONNECT to 686868.

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