Additional jail sentence for sex offender
By Delon Shurtz on July 8, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com A 40-year-old Lethbridge man serving a four-year prison term for sex-related offences against a 13-year-old girl, will serve an additional jail sentence once his penitentiary sentence is completed.Gary James Lippa pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court to one count of failing to comply with conditions of a release order, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, which he will begin serving at the conclusion of his four-year prison term.
Court was told Lippa was charged on Feb. 22, 2018 with online sexual exploitation of the young girl, and was later released on bail with several conditions, including he not use or access the Internet, not have Internet access in his residence, and not have or use any device capable of accessing the Internet.
On Feb. 19 of last year Lippa pleaded guilty in Court of Queen’s Bench to charges of Internet luring, sexual assault and making child pornography, and the following day he was convicted and his sentencing hearing was adjourned to Nov. 26, 2020. In the meantime, however, he was still bound by his previous release conditions, which he had violated on Sept. 21.
On that date, explained Crown Prosecutor Carolyn Ayre, police officers responded to a call from an apartment unit on the west side. When they arrived Lippa opened the door and one of the officers said they needed to speak to him and another individual in the unit about a mental health call police received. Although Lippa said the other resident was not in the unit, he allowed the officers in to search for him.
The officers searched the apartment and noticed an Internet router on the kitchen counter and a large TV in Lippa’s bedroom. The TV was turned on and a Google search window was open. When police confronted Lippa about his bail conditions, he told them the Internet belonged to his roommate.
Police pointed out, however, the TV was in Lippa’s room.
“Mr. Lippa responded, ‘yeah, I guess,’ ” and he was arrested, Ayre said.
Ayre reminded the judge Lippa was waiting to be sentenced on the sex-related charges when he breached his release conditions, which were imposed to prevent him from re-offending.
Lippa was finally sentenced in February of this year on the original sex offences, stemming from a relationship Lippa had with the young teenager, during which he texted her graphic, sexual comments and requested nude photos of her.
In August 2017, the two met several times while she was in Lethbridge staying with friends of the family. On one occasion they went to his residence and had sex.
In addition to his prison term, for which Lippa was given credit for seven and half months he spent in pre-trial custody, Lippa was ordered to submit a sample of his DNA for the National DNA Databank, and register for life with the Sex Offender Information Registry. He is prohibited from contacting the girl and her family, from possessing weapons for 10 years, and he cannot for 20 years after he is released volunteer or work with minors, or attend areas such as pools, playgrounds and other areas where anyone under the age of 16 is likely to go. He is also prohibited from using a computer to communicate with anyone under the age of 16. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
-3
