It may have happened many years ago but crime has caught up with a local man.
Seventy-two year old, William Henry Gaitens, of Yorkton appeared in court recently to stand trial for sexual assault offences that occurred between 1985 and 1990.
After consultation with his counsel Gaitens changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to an 18 month community sentence, with a 10 year firearms and weapons prohibition.
Gaitens has also been ordered to provide DNA to the National Databank and has to register with the National Sex Offender Registry.
The recent charges arose from a lengthy investigation that commenced back in the 1990s, however lack of corroborative evidence at that time did not allow for criminal charges. The investigation was re-opened in 2008 when an eye witness came forward. The matter was once again investigated with the new evidence and charges were pursued.
The charges were before the court for a preliminary hearing on April 14, 2010, and were committed to trial. The matters were then set for trial on January 12, where the accused changed his plea to guilty.
