{"id":30709,"date":"2023-05-30T17:15:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T17:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wagners1.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/former-halifax-scout-leader-has-been-given-prison-time-for-sexually-abusing-boys-in-1970s\/"},"modified":"2023-05-30T17:15:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T17:15:44","slug":"former-halifax-scout-leader-has-been-given-prison-time-for-sexually-abusing-boys-in-1970s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wagners.co\/es\/blog\/former-halifax-scout-leader-has-been-given-prison-time-for-sexually-abusing-boys-in-1970s\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Halifax scout leader has been given prison time for sexually abusing boys in 1970s"},"content":{"rendered":"\nFormer scout leader from the Halifax area has been given six years of prison sentence for sexually abusing two boys in the 1970s.\n\nGerald Arthur Conrad, age 71, has pleaded guilty in Halifax provincial court to two counts of indecent assault against a male and one count of gross indecency.\n\nConrad was sentenced last week by Judge Christine Driscoll, who accepted Crown attorney Steve Degen\u2019s recommendation and gave the Dartmouth senior three years for his crimes against each child, to be served consecutively.\n\nThe judge had rejected defense lawyer Ron Pizzo\u2019s request for two years held in prison and three years\u2019 of probation, saying that the punishment must be severe enough to hold Gerald Conrad accountable for his actions and acknowledge the harm that he has done.\n\n\u201cBoth victims have struggled with their lives,\u201d Driscoll stated. \u201cMy hope is that they both find some peace.\u201d\n\nThe court heard that the first victim was only 11 years old when he had been abused by Conrad in 1975. The boy had been taking a quiz for a Scouts Canada merit badge when Conrad had exposed his genitals to him.\n\nA few weeks later, Conrad offered to give the boy a drive home after a scout meeting, stopped his vehicle near a warehouse, exposed himself again and then masturbated in front of the boy.\n\nConrad later assaulted the same boy in a cabin at a scout camp. After masturbating, Conrad had performed oral sex on the young boy, who then stopped attending scouts shortly afterward.\n\nThe other victim was 12 years old when he had been targeted by Conrad, who was a cousin of a neighborhood friend, in the winter of 1978-79.\n\nConrad had taken the young boy to a car show at the Halifax Metro Centre. While driving home, he touched the boy\u2019s genital area. After they went into the house, Conrad then masturbated the boy and performed oral sex on him.\n\nHe threatened the boy that if he did not keep quiet, he would tell everyone he was gay.\n\nConrad was around his 20s when he committed the offenses. He did not have a criminal record at the time, so he was sentenced as a first-time offender. The court took into account his three subsequent convictions involving young children.\n\nIn May 2021, he was arrested and then transported to Ontario to face multiple charges of molesting a nine-year-old boy while visiting Markham for Easter in April 2001. He pleaded guilty in the Ontario court in July 2021 to a charge of sexual interference and was handed an eight-month jail sentence and three years\u2019 probation.\n\nIn January 2010, Conrad pleaded guilty in Dartmouth provincial court to a charge of sexually assaulting a child and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, followed by two years\u2019 probation.\n\nHe also has a sexual assault conviction from 1986, for which he received a suspended sentence and two years\u2019 probation.\n\nThe forensic assessment<\/strong>\n\nConrad had undergone a forensic sexual behaviour assessment prior to this sentencing. The report said he has a pedophilic disorder, with some histrionic and narcissistic personality traits, and poses an average to moderate risk to reoffend.\n\nIn the report, and in comments to the court at sentencing, Conrad said confusion about his sexuality, his naivete and his lack of education about sex were factors in the offences.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that these things are all true, (but) it would have been crystal clear to him that as a scout leader and an adult, he was to take care of his scouts or any child in his care,\u201d Driscoll said.\n\n\u201cBeing confused about your sexuality does not translate into sexual offences against children. \u2026 The use of his position of authority and the subsequent threat to (the second victim) tells the court that he knew what he was doing was wrong and that he was taking steps to hide it.\u201d\n\nThe victims, who are in their 50s, submitted impact statements for sentencing. Their identities are protected by a publication ban.\n\nThe former scout said he had left Nova Scotia as a child, has not returned \u201cand likely never will.\u201d He said he has been flooded by memories of the assaults for more than 45 years.\n\n\u201cI am thankful for the assistance of all involved in the legal system for listening, responding and delivering some sense and form of justice, enabling me to move on and hopefully put all the guilt, shame and anger behind me,\u201d he said. \u201cAt this time, I have no forgiveness to share, but perhaps I\u2019ll get there one day.\u201d\n\nThe second victim said the mental damage that Conrad caused him \u201cruns deep and will never go away.\n\n\u201cI was an innocent, trusting child with a bright future. My very first sexual experience was one of violence and fear. My first sexual experience was against my will, at the hands of a man who enjoyed hurting children, a pedophile. I was a 12-year-old child. How could anyone go on to have a normal life after a start like that?\n\n\u201cI may have grown up to be something great, but Gerald Conrad killed that happy, strong, confident little boy. He gave me a life sentence, a life as a victim of sexual assault. He took something precious from me forever. That cannot be fixed.\u201d\n\nThe man said he is in therapy, \u201ctrying to deal with the damage Gerald Conrad caused me. ... All those years of mistrust, stress, trauma, failed relationships, suicide attempts and substance abuse are years that I can never get back.\n\n\u201cPlease do not look at this as something that happened a long time ago. I relive it almost every day. My nightmares are constant. I rarely sleep at night. For me, the sexual assault was yesterday. I wish it wasn\u2019t. \u00a0Please let there be justice for me, my family and our community.\u201d\n\nDegen said society needs to be able to rely on people in positions of trust such as scout leaders to safely supervise and mentor children. He said offences like these have a \u201cchilling effect\u201d on the community.\n\n\u201cMr. Conrad is a pedophile,\u201d the prosecutor said. \u201cHe is someone who likes and desires young boys. I get the impression from reading the risk assessment that this is something that he has not at all come to grips with. I don\u2019t think (he) fully appreciates what is inside of him and the type of harm that that behaviour creates.\u201d\n\nIn addition to the prison sentence, Conrad was ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, stay away from parks, playgrounds, schools and other places frequented by children, and cannot work or volunteer in any position that would give him authority over anyone under the age of 16.\n\nDriscoll has also prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with children and from using the internet for any sexual purposes, including meeting potential dating partners.\n\nConrad also had to provide a DNA sample for a national databank. After he gets out prison, he will be banned from possessing firearms for 10 years.\n\n \n\nYour Legal Options After Sexual or Institutional Abuse<\/strong>\n\nAt Wagners, we\u2019ve met survivors of sexual or institutional abuse who find it extremely difficult to share their experiences, even with a lawyer. We have a team that is professional and compassionate so you can rely on their experience to explain your legal options and provide the assistance you need to fight for your fair compensation. Abuse survivors can trust us to use the information they share to ensure the person or institution responsible are brought to justice. We take the time to evaluate the specifics of your case and advise on the best legal option to help you receive the monetary compensation you need to recover from the abuse you endured.\n\nFile criminal charges<\/u>: If you take this option, you will not get monetary compensation. Investigations will be done, and the accused will be arrested if sufficient evidence is found. If the defendant is found guilty, he or she could face punishment like imprisonment.\n\nCivil lawsuit<\/u>: In this case, we pursue the case on behalf of the survivor in civil court. If found at fault, the assailant will be required to pay monetary compensation, which would assist the survivor to recover from the abuse.\n\nClass action lawsuit<\/u>: It is also possible to file a class action lawsuit against an assailant who assaulted several people. The group of survivors can come together to collectively file a class action suit against the person or institution that was responsible for the assault or abuse.\n\nCompensation<\/strong>\n\nAt\u00a0Wagners<\/strong><\/a>, we firmly believe that no amount of compensation can eliminate the pain and suffering that your assailant caused, but there is so much good that comes from a successfully resolved\u00a0 institutional or\u00a0sexual abuse claim<\/strong><\/a>. As a survivor, the monetary compensation you receive can assist you to recover from the abuse and cater to the medical costs involved. Holding the assailant accountable also restores your dignity and encourages other victims of sexual and institutional abuse to come out and seek justice as well.\n\nThe amount of compensation you deserve for your sexual or institutional abuse claim will depend on many factors. Some of these factors include:\n