EDMONTON—After her ‘monster’ father was sentenced to serve more than 23 years in prison for sexually assaulting his three teenage daughters for years on a rented acreage turned paramilitary compound near Wildwood, Alta., between 2014 and 2016, his youngest daughter is reflecting on her case.

Her identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban. The following are her thoughts, in her own words, as written to The Star Edmonton.

“I would like to start off by thanking the prosecutors, the amount of effort that the two prosecutors put into our case was so appreciated. Not only did they dedicate time to the legal side of our case, but we could feel that they really cared about us as people, not just victims. This made the process so much easier. Believe it or not, there were not only tears, there were even a few laughs.

“I would next like to thank the defence team; the two devoted young women were an amazing and hard working group of lawyers. We appreciate the both of them and I am happy the both of them were the ones representing the accused. It must have been a difficult job.

“I also want to thank the judge. I found that his empathy and kindness towards the defendant was in sharp contrast to the criminal actions that we had to relive. Even the sheriffs were kind and helped relieve the stress.

“And last but not least, I want to the thank the paralegal and our support systems through (the Zebra Child Protection Centre) and our Drayton Valley social workers: they made us laugh and even brought Ren and Fletcher (the dogs through zebra centre) to help us get through these tough times at court. And we can’t forget about the RCMP officers who managed our case! Thank you. Cam, we are still waiting for our doughnuts!

“I just ask one last thing. Anyone who hasn't been through our experience, please refrain yourself from putting your opinion and judgment into our family's life. My mother had nothing to do with what happened, she frequently worked between 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., and when she was home she slept throughout the day. I could go on for hours about how my family and I feel but I don't see any point to it. This is our life, we lived it, and we know what happened. So all I am asking of everyone who reads this, please try to support us or say nothing at all. We are very grateful for all the kind words and support that we have received. For those who have said negative things without knowing us, we forgive your ignorance.

“Us as a family are very strong, we lean on each other. We are looking forward to moving on and getting past this. We will never forget but we will try our best to turn this experience into something better, for example I am in a criminal justice studies internship in hopes to soon be a prosecutor to help people like my family and me. Thank you for taking your time to read this, it is very appreciated! And have a great night.”

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