A man from Saskatchewan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to sexually abusing a young girl and creating images and videos of the abuse. Nicholas Melnyk, 36, was brought to the attention of law enforcement when the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S. alerted the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit in early 2023 about a video posted on Snapchat from an IP address associated with a residence in southern Saskatchewan.
Following the notification, authorities obtained a search warrant for the home where Melnyk was arrested. During the search, law enforcement discovered numerous photos and videos of child sexual abuse on Melnyk’s cellphones. Among the disturbing content, 26 photos and four videos depicted a seven-year-old victim who had been subjected to abuse by Melnyk on multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019. The victim, who was not related to Melnyk, is protected by a publication ban to safeguard her identity.
Melnyk pleaded guilty to charges of sexual interference, producing child pornography, and possessing child pornography. In the court decision, it was revealed that Melnyk confessed to undressing the girl, engaging in inappropriate touching, and coercing her to touch him.
The prosecution recommended a 15-year sentence, reduced to 12 years under the totality principle, while the defense argued for an eight-year term, which could be further reduced to seven years considering the totality principle.
In his ruling issued by the Regina Court of King’s Bench, Justice Graeme Mitchell cited a 2020 Supreme Court of Canada case, R v Friesen, which established new sentencing guidelines for child abuse cases. The decision highlighted the legislative efforts to strengthen penalties for sexual offenses against children, including the 2015 amendment that raised the maximum sentence for child sexual assault to 14 years from 10 years.
Judge Mitchell determined a 13-year sentence for Melnyk but ultimately imposed a 10-year term after applying the totality principle. The sentence included seven years for sexual interference, two years for producing child pornography, and one year for possessing child pornography. Despite having no prior criminal record, Melnyk did not receive any credit for time served as he was not detained during the court proceedings.
