Former pastor convicted of sexual assault

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Sunny South News

Southern Alberta Newspapers

 

On Nov. 12, a former Mennonite pastor pleaded guilty and was sentenced in Taber on a sexual assault charge that dates back more than 25 years. Herman Neufeld, 69, received a conditional sentence order of two years less a day, with multiple conditions attached to it. The first six months will be served under house arrest.

 Crown Prosecutor Sheena Campbell read the agreed statement of facts to the court. In 1998, Neufeld was the minister at a church in Chin, Alta. The female victim knew the man from their prior employment at the Spitz factory and approached him in the summer of that year for ministerial guidance and support as she was going through a divorce. On one occasion, she attended Neufeld’s home near Grassy Lake and he propositioned her for sex, which she refused. He nevertheless proceeded with unwanted touching and groping. The prosecutor said the actions occurred after the victim’s verbal refusal and were exacerbated by the fact that he was perceived to be in a position of trust. At the time of the incident, the man was 43 and the woman approximately 32.

Defence lawyer Vincent Guinan said, “Those facts are admitted on behalf of my client.”

 The victim, who attended via WebEx but did not appear visually on the courtroom screen, is now in her late-fifties and resides in another province. Neufeld had no criminal convictions in his life prior to this, and Guinan told the court that the man had confessed his wrongdoing to the RCMP and before his church congregation many years ago.

 “In all my dealings with Mr. Neufeld, whenever this matter is brought up, there are genuine tears and remorse for the damage that was caused to this young lady throughout the duration of her life,” Guinan said. “The most significant thing that held him to a higher standard than other members of his community was that position and that role. What he has done in response to that is really the only thing he can do; on multiple appearances before various investigative bodies he has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted that those actions have had damaging consequences to the victim.”

 Justice Hironaka concluded by saying he read the victim impact statement and considered the  turmoil the young woman was put through while seeking help during that period of her life. 

“To the extent that (she) is listening by WebEx, I don’t have the physical, mental, or emotional capacity to really fully understand what she went through, but I extend to her acknowledgement and condolences in that regard. I can also tell her that whatever expectations she might have had of what would happen here today and what the Canadian judicial system could do to try to make it right for her, that (the proposal) by joint submission is properly within the range. Not to suggest that it is going to compensate for the mental anguish and hurt that she went through. It is in keeping with what we consider here in this jurisdiction as being a fitting, just sentence.”