A man from Canwood was sentenced in Prince Albert Provincial Court to 39 months in prison. (Courthouses.co photo)
On March 14 Zachary Skavlebo was found guilty in Prince Albert Albert court of sexually assaulting K.G. on Feb. 6, 2021, and sentenced to 39 months in prison. There is a court-ordered publication ban on identifying the victim.
Skavlebo was ordered to submit his DNA, given a 10-year firearms prohibition and given a 20-year SOIRA (Sex Offender Information Registration Act) order, and pay the victim a $6,781.31 restitution order payable by Aug. 31, 2025.
The assault occurred after Skavlebo, a casual acquaintance of the victim, used a mental health crisis as a pretext to visit her home. While there, he sexually assaulted her despite her repeated verbal and physical resistance. He stopped only when he realized she was serious about her lack of consent. The victim, who was 22 or 23 at the time, suffered significant emotional and psychological trauma, impacting her education, career, and mental health.
The offence has had a profound impact on the victim. She described it as “the worst night of my life.” She replayed the events of that night over and over again. At the time, the victim was enrolled in post-secondary vocational training. As a result of the offence, she wasn’t able to focus on her studies. She was required to take a remedial course and write her qualifying exam several times, at some cost to her. She is now working in her chosen field, which sometimes requires her to work with others who have been sexually assaulted. She finds it difficult to deal with this emotionally.
She has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, for which she has been prescribed medication. She pays out of pocket for this medication. This case was scheduled for trial four times before the trial actually proceeded. Each time the matter was set for trial, she booked a week off work because of the emotional toll of attending court. In her victim impact statement, she says she is not asking to be paid back for her monetary loss. She just wants Skavlebo to know that, even though the court case has cost him time and money, it has cost her time and money, too.
Skavlebo, now 30, has no prior criminal record and is in a stable relationship.
He grew up on the family farm in the Canwood area. He has a Grade 11 education and doesn’t suffer from any addictions, although he says he has experienced self-diagnosed anxiety and depression throughout his life. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he was sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Kelvington after a fight with his brother. He believes there were concerns about his parents’ ability to care for him. This has been a source of trauma and confusion for him.
As of the date of sentencing submissions, he had been unable to find a counsellor to assist him with these problems. Skavlebo says he didn’t seek counselling since the assault because he didn’t think he should discuss the offence while the charge was pending before the Court. He now says he is ready to seek counselling.
He claims to have experienced anxiety and depression but has not sought counseling. A risk assessment placed him at a medium risk for general reoffending (50 per cent over three years) and a Level III risk for sexual recidivism (7.5 per cent over three years).
Aggravating factors included the predatory and violent nature of the assault, his sobriety during the offense, and the vulnerability of the victim. Mitigating factors included him stopping after realizing her lack of consent and his lack of criminal history, though the latter was not considered a significant mitigating factor.
