A man who went on a month-long spree in downtown Victoria, squirting acid on women’s stockings, was sentenced to 49 days in jail followed by 12 months’ probation.
Sean James O’Reilly, 53, was found guilty last February on seven counts of assault for targeting women wearing pantyhose or stockings, causing the fabric to decompose and leaving mild skin irritation.
Arriving 20 minutes late, the accused sat in the dock, staring at the floor as Justice Anthony Saunders read his verdict.
While Crown prosecutor Mark Feldthusen had sought a seven-month jail term, the defence argued that incarceration was unwarranted.
Saunders weighed both positions and sentenced O’Reilly to seven days for each count, saying jail time was necessary because the case involved “a man deliberately targeting women for his own gratification.”
“He did not spray muriatic acid onto a store window mannequin dressed in pantyhose to get his thrills,” Saunders said. “He went out into public looking for real women whom he could attack surreptitiously; his actions were predatory.”
“The sentence must be strong enough to send clear messages. The security and bodily integrity of persons going about their business in public is not to be interfered with, and in particular, that men are not to co-opt unwilling women into assisting them in achieving gratification.”
Initially charged with sexual assault, O’Reilly described his actions as a “fetish,” but said “it wasn't sexual” and that it was more about “the thrill of getting away with something.”
A doctor’s assessment noted that the accused appeared genuinely remorseful and found his claim that his actions were not sexually motivated to be credible. It was stated that O’Reilly had no prior history of sex offences.
The Crown prosecutor acknowledged O’Reilly’s cooperation with police and his expressions of remorse. He added that while the offender’s actions were neither sophisticated nor the product of meticulous planning, they did show a degree of forethought and were not spontaneous or simply crimes of opportunity.
Ultimately, Sanders downgraded the counts to assaults, recognizing the defence lawyers arguments that while O’Reilly’s conduct underlying the offences is concerning and troubling, his actions were primarily “mischievous, juvenile, and immature.”
Because O’Reilly lives on a boat with kittens, Saunders allowed him to serve his sentence intermittently at Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre. Beginning Sept. 12, he will report to jail Fridays at 6 p.m. and be released Sundays at 6 p.m., over consecutive weekends.
