TV reporter-turned pedophile Ron Bencze gets four-year prison term, more than the Crown asked for

I bet federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has added Judge Robin Baird to his Christmas-card list.

Toews is Prime Minister Stephen Harper's point man on the Conservatives' tough-on-crime policy.

Baird is the B.C. provincial court judge who just sentenced a former TV reporter to more jail time than the prosecutor had demanded for sexually abusing a young boy for years.

Ron Bencze was a familiar face on Global BC's newscasts. I mostly remember him for the awkward quality of his stand-ups — the live reports done from the scene of a story.

People were shocked when Benzce was arrested last year and later charged with nine sexual offences against three children, ranging from sexual assault to sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching, over several years. Global suspended him initially, then fired him when charges were laid.

[ Related: N.B. principal pleads guilty to charges involving children ]

In an agreement with the Crown, Bencze, a 45-year-old married father of young children, pleaded guilty last month to one count of sexual assault against one of the victims, a friend of his son.

Bencze's lawyer asked Baird to impose a conditional sentence of 18 to 24 months, followed by probation or an intermittent sentence (to be served, say, on weekends), Surrey Now reported.

The Crown wanted a prison term of two to three years.

But Baird surprised everyone in his suburban Surrey courtroom Tuesday when he sentenced Bencze to four years.

The family and friends of his now-teenage victim broke into applause as exclaimed "yes" and "oh my God," as Baird read his decision, the Vancouver Province reported.

Bencze's behaviour was deviant, said Baird, and he committed a major sexual offence for which he must pay a heavy price.

Neil MacKenzie, a spokesman for the Crown prosecution service, acknowledged it's "relatively infrequent" for a judge to impose a harsher sentence than the Crown requested, the Globe and Mail reported.

"I think we're probably more accustomed to finding a sentence that is what we're seeking, or lower than what we're seeking, but we certainly respect the authority of the court to impose what it concludes is the appropriate sentence," he said.

Bencze will undoubtedly appeal the sentence but meantime a children's advocate welcomed Baird's decision as an example for others.

"I'm pretty happy today," Danielsen told the Province. "Normally I come out of these things and I'm really upset with the sentencing, but I was really happy with the judge. It actually gave me a little bit of faith back in our justice system."

Evidence presented in the case revealed Bencze began assaulting the boy in 2003, when he was about five years old. The abuse, which included masturbation and oral sex, continued until December 2010 when the victim's mother discovered sexually explicit text messages from Benze to her now 14-year-old son's cellphone.

She went to police and their investigation turned up two more alleged victims.

"When the abuse began, I was young and it was ongoing for years through my adolescence," the boy said in a victim-impact statement read in court by Baird. "I feel that I have missed out on a childhood that was meant for me, not the tainted one that I have experienced.

"I'm trying to live and behave as a normal, average teenager," but added that he has had troubles at home, school and with making friends, according to Surrey Now.

The boy's mother said in her statement that her son "has lost his innocence. Our son is embarrassed by this subject and has had his pride taken away."

Astoundingly, during his psychiatric evaluation, Bencze claimed it was the boy who initiated the sexual contact. Bencze said he felt angry with himself for thinking it was OK.

Bencze said he wanted to "please" the boy and that being with him made Bencze feel "more of a child," Surrey Now reported.

[ Related: Belgian court rules pedophile's ex-wife, who allowed 2 girls to starve, can go free ]

"I think the complainant filled a void," Bencze explained.

"The level of the accused's recklessness and abandon is alarming," Baird concluded, noting Bencze had no prior criminal record and said, "He was a normal adult with a normal background who should have known better."