Bedford man sentenced to jail for sexually abusing child in Ontario

A 70-year-old man from Bedford, N.S., has been sentenced to a year in jail and three years probationin relation to a 2001 incident involving a child under the age of 14 in Markham, Ont.

Gerald Conrad, 70, pleaded guilty to sexual interference and a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket sentenced him on July 12, 2021.

Justice Elaine Deluzio gave Conrad credit for the four months that he had already spent in custody.

As part of the sentence, he is under a court order not to have contact with children, not to possess any weapons and not to contact the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.

Initially, Conrad was facing five charges that were alleged to have occurred between 2001 and 2003 including two counts of sexual assault and one count of invitation to sexual touching. The other charges were withdrawn at the sentencing.

York Regional Police began investigating after receiving a report on Nov. 3, 2020.

Police said Conrad lived in Nova Scotia, but had travelled to Markham to visit friends and family in 2001.

Officers arrested Conrad in Nova Scotia this May and York Regional Police took custody of him.

York Regional Police also distributed a photo of Conrad and urged any additional victims, witnesses or people with information to come forward.

In January 2010, Conrad was convicted of sexual assault in Nova Scotia. The offence was committed in October 2009. At the time of that conviction, charges of sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching were withdrawn.