Skip to content

Clearwater man convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls

The offences took place in the early 2000s.
25371337_web1_190408-BPD-M-court-1
(Kamloops This Week)

A Clearwater man has been convicted of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of two young girls in his home in the early 2000s.

Wayne Thomas Taylor, 70, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation of the girls, who were between the ages of 11 and 15 at the time. The Crown alleged the acts were committed between Jan. 1, 2002, and Dec. 31, 2005.

“The grooming activities that Mr. Taylor underwent with each of the complainants are compelling and believable,” BC Supreme Court Justice Carla Forth said in her ruling.

The complainants, now in their 30s, knew each other as they went to elementary school together and lived in the community commonly known as the Flats. Both said they had viewed Taylor as a “friend” and would go to his home to “hang out,” according to the recently published decision. The women said they decided to go to the police and tell their stories 20 years later after reconnecting on Facebook.

Both women said they felt comfortable at Taylor’s home and would go over to his house as many as three times a week. He even cooked for one of them on occasion. At first, the visits were innocent - the girls would watch TV or play with the cats, with other boys and girls in the community.

The visits, however, gradually turned into sexual touching and assault. Over the years, one of the girls said they would visit Taylor, who would give her drugs for sexual acts. Taylor told them both not to tell anyone, but one confided in a friend who confronted Taylor and made him angry, and the other said she spoke with a social worker, who didn’t do anything. Both women stated they suffer from PTSD.

Although Taylor denied the allegations of sexual contact with the complainants, Justice Forth said she didn’t “find him to be a credible or reliable witness.”

“I reject the accused’s evidence as unworthy of belief,” she wrote.

Taylor will be sentenced at a later date.

The story has been updated to correct for errors regarding the victims.



newsroom@clearwatertimes.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter