REGINA – After serving more than four years behind bars for sexually assaulting a minor, a Regina man has learned his fate after a sentence was handed down by Justice Graeme Mitchell.
The victim - 14 years of age at the time of the sexual assaults - first encountered Philip Lionel Levac in the weight room of the Lawson Aquatic Centre, where he volunteered to help improve her weight-lifting skills. After that first meeting, Levac and the victim began communicating frequently. Court heard it was only a few weeks later that Levac initiated the assaults.
The victim - whose identity is protected by a publication ban - described blaming herself for the attacks; being plagued by flashbacks and difficulty sleeping
“I’ll never forget what happened but I know I’ll heal and come out of this stronger than I have ever been before,” she said in a victim impact statement, noting her gratitude for the support of those in her life through the ordeal. “This might sound crazy but I forgive you. Not for you, but for myself. Even though forgiving you was one of the hardest things I have had to do, it was the only way I could move on in life and realize what is done is done.”
The victim’s mother also provided a statement, describing how her daughter’s life has been forever changed through Levac’s actions.
“She hasn’t experienced any of the normal teenage behaviour, as she has had to grow up before her time,” noted the victim’s mother. “You have stolen her teenage years, her ability to feel happy among people.”
Back on Sept. 16, 2022, Mitchell designated Levac, 35, as a dangerous offender, and on Dec. 9 sentenced him to 10 years incarceration for the first count of sexual assault on April 12, 2018, and 14 years on the second count of the same charge that occurred three days later, to be served concurrently. With the time Levac has already served, a remand credit to that global sentence of 14 years exists - four years, seven months and 15 days. However, an attack on a fellow inmate of the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre in January of 2021 resulted in Levac sentenced to 27 months for aggravated assault. While this reduced his remand credit days to 877, a 1.5:1 ratio for time served means Levac will see three years and 221 days applied; reducing the actual time to 10 years, three months and 13 days in a corrections facility in British Columbia.
“The sentence I impose must protect the public, most especially the victim,” Mitchell said in handing down the sentence. “It must clearly denounce Mr. Levac’s conduct and deter him and others from committing sexual offences against children.”
Crown prosecutor Roger DeCorby submitted on the September court date that Levac meets the criteria for designation as a dangerous offender, with the position seeking a longer sentence, that a long-term supervision order would not adequately protect the public. DeCorby wanted to see eight years served on the first offence and 12 on the second one.
Representing the respondent, Andrew Hitchcock favoured a long-term supervision order and a reduced sentence with credit for pretrial custody. On the Dec. 9 court date, Hitchcock’s submission was in the 10- to 12-year range in a federal penitentiary.
Mitchell also considered Levac’s lengthy criminal history of violence and sexual violence and the likelihood of re-offending. In addition to the jail time, Mitchell added a 10-year long-term supervision order, plus additional orders including firearms prohibition, no contact with the victim or any people under the age of 16.
“Given his history of sexual violence, it is mandatory that he participate and successfully complete a high-intensity violence prevention program prior to any consideration of parole,” read part of a doctor’s report.
In late 2017, RPS warned the public that Levac would be residing in a north central neighbourhood upon release from prison after previous sexual assault conviction.
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