A man from rural Manitoba with a series of past assault convictions was sentenced to eight years behind bars on Thursday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his teenage daughter while she was under the care of Child and Family Services.

In the morning, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Candace Grammond handed down the eight-year sentence, less time served, after the 39-year-old man entered a guilty plea in what Crown attorney Michelle Bright described as the "predatory" sexual assault on his daughter, who had been living with her CFS foster mother in Winnipeg. A charge of incest was stayed.

It was the first of two appearances on the day for the man, who was in court Thursday afternoon to be sentenced in connection with a separate sexual assault from 2012 that he was found guilty of three months ago.

The sexual assault of his daughter happened three years ago as her young half-brother slept in a hotel bed nearby, Bright told the court.

Neither the daughter, who is now an adult, nor the offender can be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

'Lured' daughter with invite to zoo: Crown

During the early morning hours of May 16, 2015, Bright said the man invited his daughter, with whom he had sporadic contact up to that point, to stay with him at a Winnipeg hotel.

Over Facebook, he "lured her with the promise" of staying the night and going to the zoo the following day with him and his son, who was also staying at the hotel, Bright said.

She was dropped off at the hotel and eventually began watching television in bed with her father.

"The offender told the victim to have a shower, which she did, after which he provided her with a pair of boxer shorts to wear to bed," Bright said, adding the teen put them on, over her underwear and wore a tank top and sweater to bed.

As the two watched more television in bed, the father cuddled with and rubbed his daughter's leg.

He asked her to remove the boxers. Feeling uncomfortable, she said no and pretended to fall asleep hoping he would leave her alone, Bright said.

But he removed her boxers and underwear and sexually assaulted her, Bright said, before moving to the other bed where he slept next to his young son.

DNA links father to assault

The daughter texted her foster mother and told a hotel clerk about what happened in the morning.

Her foster mother picked her up and took her to the hospital for a sexual assault exam that later linked DNA to her father, court heard.

Bright said the father checked out of the hotel that day — two days earlier than planned — but was arrested at the home of his niece a short time later.

A subsequent police report was filed and the man was arrested at the home of his niece.

He entered a guilty plea 2½ years later "in the face of a strong case including DNA," Bright said.

He has a history of drug use and convictions dating back to 1997 — including escaping custody, assault and uttering threats.

"While he has experience with many types of drugs he says that he has never been addicted, and the last time he smoked crack was the day after this offence," Bright said, adding the man said he was sober that day and has never sought addictions treatment as an adult.

Defence lawyer Tony Kavanagh said his client was sexually assaulted by two extended relatives as a young boy. Kavanagh sought a four year sentence, but Justice Grammond upped it to eight years.

He also isn't allowed to own weapons for 20 years, can't have any contact with his daughter while he serves his sentence and will go into the federal sex offenders registry.

2nd sentence to be determined

That sentence and those restrictions were similar to what Crown attorney Kevin Clayton was seeking against the man Thursday afternoon at a second sentencing overseen by Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench Justice Rob Dewar.

Following a trial this past June, Dewar found the man guilty of sexual assault stemming from a separate incident involving a woman in 2012, three years before the assault on his daughter, and arrested in October of 2015.

"I have been emotionally distressed and disturbed since the sexual assault," the victim said in a statement read at trial. "I have to live with the trauma and nightmares of what happened to me for the rest of my life."

The statement, parts of which were read in court Thursday by Clayton, goes on to discuss how the woman broke two front teeth in the attack and couldn't go to work for months afterward because she was "depressed and ashamed."

Clayton said the man and woman didn't really know each other but had maybe met on one occasion prior to the assault.

He reached out to her, saying he was interested in buying some items she sold and made and set up a time to meet, Clayton said.

'No remorse'

They met in a remote area of a community where she got into the car and he then drove her to a home where he sexually assaulted her and then forced her to shower, court heard.

"[He] is someone who has shown absolutely no remorse for his actions," Clayton said.

He sought a seven-year sentence to be served consecutively with the man's other eight-year sentence.

Defence lawyer Tony Cellitti said the man has the support of his wife and mother, neither of whom have expressed any concerns about his alcohol or drug use of late.

Due to the fact that he has a Grade 5 education, was sexually assaulted as a boy and his mother attended residential schools, Cellitti argued his client should get no more than three years.

Justice Dewar requested time to consider both arguments. Sentencing will resume later this month.