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<\/p>\nA Winnipeg grandfather of five guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing a vulnerable child told a judge Monday loneliness and social isolation during the pandemic drove him to a drug addiction that clouded his judgment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a functioning addict, hiding it from everyone,\u201d said 52-year-old Kevin Shrutwa. \u201cI just hate myself. It\u2019s ugly. I have three daughters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shrutwa pleaded guilty in December to one count each of child luring, sexual interference and possession of child sexual abuse material.<\/p>\n
Shrutwa was introduced to the victim by his drug dealer \u2014 the girl\u2019s uncle \u2014 who told Shrutwa she was 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was told that she was of age and he believed that,\u201d defence lawyer Adam Hodge told provincial court Judge Lindy Choy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not somebody who sought out someone who was underage,\u201d Hodge said. \u201cWhen (police told him) her age he threw up. He feels awful about what happened and angry that he was lied to.\u2026 He was misled.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 28-page agreed statement of facts previously provided to court details a history of sexual victimization that began when the girl was eight at the hands of her aunt and uncle, both of whom were charged with sex crimes against the girl.<\/p>\n
Shrutwa was introduced to the victim during a June or July 2023 FaceTime call with the girl\u2019s uncle. During the call, the uncle asked Shrutwa if he needed anything, turned his camera toward the 12-year-old girl and said: \u201cHow about this?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man told Shrutwa the girl was 18 and was available for a \u201cdate\u201d for $150.<\/p>\n
A short time later, Shrutwa was sent a video of the girl \u201cengaged in sexual activity\u201d and arrangements were made for the two to meet at a Route 90 gas station where they \u201cengaged in sexual touching\u201d in Shrutwa\u2019s car.<\/p>\n
Shrutwa and the girl, who was intoxicated by drugs and alcohol when she arrived, exchanged contact information before the girl returned to her uncle\u2019s vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe degree of the accused\u2019s interference with the sexual and physical integrity of the victim is immense here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl believed Shrutwa had paid her uncle for the encounter, but he hadn\u2019t, says the agreed statement of facts.<\/p>\n
Shrutwa and the girl continued to meet for sex at his home and in his car and a hotel, frequently recording sex acts while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
The abuse was reported to police in January 2024, after the girl\u2019s grandmother, who was her legal guardian, and other family members discovered pictures and videos of her and Shrutwa on her phone.<\/p>\n
The grandmother told investigators she knew the girl was being sexually exploited by an older man who gave her drugs, but \u201cdid not report to police because she thought she could manage it herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked (the girl) why she was doing this and (she) told her that \u2018she needs a father figure\u2026 because her father is in jail,\u2019\u201d says the agreed statement of facts.<\/p>\n
Police arrested Shrutwa on Feb. 24, 2024.<\/p>\n
While transporting Shrutwa to police headquarters, officers heard him claiming the girl told him she was 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was lured into this shit,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat was I thinking? F\u2014king idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a pre-sentence report provided to court, Shrutwa continues to feel he was \u201cduped\u201d by the victim.<\/p>\n
Shrutwa has shown \u201cvery little insight into the offence, other than an acceptance retroactively that the conduct was illegal,\u201d said Crown attorney Ben Wickstrom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe degree of the accused\u2019s interference with the sexual and physical integrity of the victim is immense here,\u201d Wickstrom said.<\/p>\n
The girl\u2019s aunt was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison. Her uncle remains before the court.<\/p>\n
Hodge argued the 12-year sentence recommended by the Crown should be reserved for alleged offenders such as the girl\u2019s uncle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact on (the victim) is largely the result of (her uncle)\u2026 who passed her on to other individuals,\u201d Hodge said. \u201cHe is the person responsible very significantly for the exploitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Choy will sentence Shrutwa July 14.<\/p>\n
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Dean Pritchard Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Courts reporter
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