The man “has not had a break since the day of his birth,” said the judge.
But any sympathy for Steven Paul Mewhort had to be put aside, Judge Peder Gulbransen said in sentencing him, to protect the public, and in particular, children.
According to a sentence handed down in September, but just released on Wednesday, Mewhort has been in prison for all but four days since May 12, 2004.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to sexually touching an 11-year-old boy on July 31, 2006 at Real Canadian Superstore in Surrey. The offense took place within days of him completing a two-year prison term for a similar offense.
Mewhort, described as “a diminutive man, barely the size of a teenager,” was not under supervision when he went to Superstore in the summer of 2006. The store’s video footage showed him in the DVD department of the store, where he seems to fixate on the pre-teen almost immediately. The boy was clearly uncomfortable and moved away, but Mewhort followed him. The boy moved again, this time many aisles away and tried out a video game.
The store surveillance, according to court documents, showed Mewhort walking up and down the aisles, pretending to shop, but eventually stopping about 10 feet from the victim. He rolled up his sleeve, looking furtively up and down the aisles, moving closer and closer until he was behind the boy. The man put his hand on the boy’s shoulder to prevent him from leaving and proceeded to put his hand on the child’s leg and began to fondle the boy’s right foot.
Mewhort didn’t touch any other part of the child’s body, but rubbed his foot for four minutes before store employees confronted him and led him to a security room.
An offence in 2004 was similar in that Mewhort confronted two boys in a Vancouver park who were fixing a bike and began rubbing the boys’ feet. The pair managed to get away and alerted a nearby police officer. Mewhort was sentenced to two years in jail and three years probation for that incident.
Although the 2004 and 2006 incidents are the only sexual offences on Mewhort’s record, his previous crimes involve a string of inappropriate behaviours towards children, including touching a 14-year-old girl’s buttocks on a bus.
The recent court decision says Mewhort has been “troubled with serious physical, neurological, psychological and social problems from early childhood.”
As an infant he rarely interacted with others, his speech and motor development were delayed, he had a deformed foot and a limp, he did poorly in school and didn’t associate with peers. By age 15, his inappropriate sexual behaviour had drawn the attention of authorities.
Though he has been under the supervision of the justice system since 1999, Judge Gulbransen said based on psychological and psychiatric assessments, there “really is no question” that Mewhort will reoffend.
Gulbransen declared Mewhort a dangerous offender and imposed a jail sentence “for an indeterminate period.”
He must also submit a DNA sample.
sreynolds@surreyleader.com
