From the National Post: 74-year-old Calgary psychiatrist convicted of molesting patients to face sentencing hearing
Bill Graveland, Canadian Press | Jan 30, 2013 8:42 AM ET | Last Updated:
CALGARY — A Calgary psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting three of his court-appointed male patients is to face a sentencing hearing today.
The Crown has described Dr. Aubrey Levin, 74, as a “convicted serial sex offender” who violated a position of trust he had with the patients during court-ordered sessions.
Levin initially faced charges involving nine different men. Earlier this week, a jury convicted him on three of the counts and found him not guilty on two others. It could not reach a verdict on four of the charges.
Prosecutor Dallas Sopko has said he will ask Justice Donna Shelley for a sentence of between four and seven years.
“It’s the Crown’s submission and we’re hopeful that the justice will find that the facts are that the assaults were serious in nature,” said Sopko. “It all comes down to the facts as found by the justice.”Levin’s lawyer, Chris Archer, argues the sex assaults were minor and the sentence should be much lighter.
“The only aggravating factor is the violation of trust,” Archer said Monday evening after the verdicts were reached.
The patients had been assigned to Levin through the courts between 1999 and 2010.
The allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his patients came forward with secret videos he had recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
The patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his appointments.
Archer said his client should serve between 30 and 90 days on two of the charges. He said the punishment for the more serious case involving R.B. should depend on what the facts support.
Sopko intends to have victim impact statements read by three male patients. He had hoped to have more time to prepare for the arguments.
“It’s not ideal but the Crown will adapt to the situation as it unfolds. The court wants this process to be over and done expediently and the Crown will rise to the challenge.”
Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, was frequently used by the courts to assess people and provide expert opinions at hearings.
He served briefly as regional director for the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon and was licensed in 1998 to practise psychiatry in Alberta.
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