See more at: http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/levin-sentenced-to-five-years-in-jail-1.1137196
Dr. Aubrey Levin sentenced to five years in jail
Dr. Aubrey Levin, convicted of three counts of sexual assault on Monday, will spend five years behind bars for his crimes.
Justice Donna Shelley gave her sentence to a crowded courtroom on Thursday which included two of the three victims in the trial and members of Levin's family.
In rendering her judgment, Shelley gave special consideration to the extent of one of the victim’s methods, by buying a spy watch in proving his complaints.
Dr. Aubrey Levin will spend five years in jail for sexually assaulting three of his court-appointed patients.
She also took into account the age and health of Levin.
The defence contended that if he spent an extended period in jail, he would likely die there.
The court heard on Wednesday from the three victims, who were all court-ordered patients of Dr. Aubrey Levin, about their ordeal and how the man’s actions affected their lives.
The hearing began at 2 p.m. in the afternoon and Shelley decided she would not rush a decision on Levin’s sentence considering the gravity of the case.
Crown prosecutors surprised the court on Wednesday, asking for a harsher penalty than they had previously.
They sought a sentence of between six to eight years in jail.
Levin’s defence lawyers wanted a 90 day sentence with the option of spending it on weekends.
Chris Archer calls the assaults on the male patients ‘minor’.
Levin was convicted of three counts of sexual assault on Monday and acquitted of two other charges.
The judge declared a mistrial in the cases involving four other complainants.
Dr.
Aubrey Levin, 73, is charged with assaulting nine of his patients.
The
allegations came to light in 2010 after one of his patients came forward with
secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The
videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man's belt and jeans
and appearing to fondle him.
Lawyer
Chris Archer said Monday the witness is a petty criminal who was setting up
Levin to pursue a lawsuit and what happened was consensual.
In his
final arguments, Archer told the jury that other patients jumped on the
bandwagon after the first charge was laid.
The
patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the
videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month.
The man
said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him,
so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his appointments.
After
Levin was arrested, other former patients came forward with abuse allegations.
The only
time the jury saw Levin speak was in his videotaped statement to police after
his arrest.
Levin
claimed he was doing medical procedures on the patients to help them with
sexual dysfunctions.
Another
doctor testified, however, that what Levin was doing was not an accepted
medical technique.
Levin,
who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, was frequently used by the courts
to assess people and provide expert opinions at hearings. Most of his alleged
victims had been ordered to see him by a judge.
Levin
served briefly as regional director for the federal Psychiatric Centre
Saskatoon and was licensed in 1998 to practise psychiatry in Alberta.
Why does the headline read Ex-psychiatrist's Rabbi Levin?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable. I know this man, I met him a few times, it is shocking. He is 'Doctor Shock' or suchlike in the papers. But when I spoke with him in Canada he came across as a gentle sweet guy exploring frumkeit as an older person. I am not doubting that he did terrible things. It is difficult to come to a worthwhile explanation, something from which we can benefit. Just possibly as a reminder that we all have this yetzer hora, we can all fail badly. Every single one of us. Nobody is immune. Not anybody. May I suggest: don't smirk at others who have succumbed, who knows that you are not the next to fall?
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