Child predator ruled long-term offender, sentenced 15 years

A 59-year-old man who victimized several underage girls over a decade in Saskatoon has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Russell Wolfe pleaded guilty in March 2017 to 20 charges, including three counts of sexual assault and several for child pornography.

On Thursday, a Court of Queen’s Bench judge accepted a joint submission from Crown prosecutors and defence counsel in Wolfe’s sentencing, and designated the Saskatoon man as a long-term offender.

Wolfe was arrested in 2014 as part of a nationwide police sweep for offenders viewing child pornography on their computers. It was later found he had been recording himself abusing victims in his Saskatoon home.

He abused 15 girls between 1997 and 2008, buying sex from some of them. The youngest girl was nine years old.

“He considered them prostitutes,” Crown prosecutor Kathy Grier said outside court in Saskatoon.

“When they’re abused children, they’re not sex trade workers. They don’t have the ability to make those judgments.”

She added the case was difficult to work on, especially considering the state of mind of Wolfe’s victims.

“At least two (of the girls) said they felt it was their fault,” she said. “That is so mixed up.”

Wolfe’s defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle noted his client has asked for intensive treatment in the past and didn’t receive it. However, Pfefferle said with Thursday’s sentencing, there’s hope he’ll get the help he needs.

“He’s a troubled man, but one who’s willing to participate and work with the system,” Pfefferle said.

With time served discounted from his sentence, Wolfe will spend another 10 years behind bars.

After his release, he will be subjected to 10 years of close supervision and intensive treatment, including the prescription of anxiety medication.

The judge also handed down a lifetime ban on Wolfe attending public parks, schools, pools or anywhere else children under the age of 16 could be reasonably expected to attend.

He’s also banned for life from using the internet, unless explicit rules are set out by a parole officer or the courts.