A man who has committed 13 indecent acts over the years, most recently at Langley’s casino, was granted permission to appeal his sentence by B.C. Court of Appeal.
Kenneth Wayne Wickstrom, 61, appealed his sentence of three months in jail followed by 18 months probation, saying it was in excess of what Crown and his counsel had agreed on in joint submissions.
The sentencing judge rejected the suggestion that a conditional order was appropriate.
She instead ordered jail time, citing Wickstrom’s refusal to accept responsibility for his “predatory” behaviour.
On July 30, 2013 at 3:35 a.m., security personnel in the Cascades Casino observed Wickstrom sitting at a slot machine exposing himself and masturbating while females walked by.
The police were called and he was arrested. Wickstrom blamed his extreme crystal meth addiction for his actions.
On Feb. 27, 2014, he pleaded guilty to a charge of committing an indecent act in the presence of others. Wickstrom has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1978, when the appellant was 22.
It included crimes of violence, weapon use, drug and alcohol offences, breaches of supervision orders and sex offences.
There were 12 prior convictions for committing indecent acts, the last of which was a conviction on July 26, 2012, for which he received a six-month conditional sentence.
The Court noted he had previously been on conditional sentence orders, and was on such an order at the time the offence was committed. Crown Counsel acknowledged the appellant had done well in recovery until the current offence.
The judge noted he required the successful participation in and completion of the Sex Offender Treatment program offered in the community or in custody.
While the Appeal Court did grant him a leave to appeal, the three judges then dismissed his appeal.
