CALGARY

Engaging in a “reign of terror” against his family, which included raping his teenage daughter and using a stun gun on the family dogs, has landed a Calgary man a 15-year prison term.

Provincial court Judge Joanne Durant also noted the offender repeatedly assaulted his wife when she tried to stop his sexual abuse of their daughter, and threatened to kill the entire family.

Durant said the man’s crimes, if sentenced individually, would result in a total punishment of more than 24 years, but had to be reduced so his total term wasn’t excessive.

She said the statement of facts admitted by the dad “details what can only conservatively be described as a reign of terror by this accused over his family.”

The abuse occurred between April 1, 2006 and Dec. 27, 2011, when he raped his 14-year-old daughter at knifepoint.

“Not even the family pets were spared from (his) horrific acts of violence as he has also pleaded guilty to using a Taser energy gun on both dogs,” Durant said.

“On one occasion he Tasered one of the dogs for such an extended period of time it caused the dog to ‘scream’ while (his) young son stood by, begging him to stop,” she said.

The man had earlier pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexual assault with a weapon, uttering death threats, cruelty to animals and driving dangerously to flee police after his crimes were reported.

Durant said the offender’s conduct was made even more egregious by his complete lack of insight into the impact of his cruel behaviour.

The man began his criminal conduct towards his victims by repeatedly sexually assaulting the eldest of his two daughters when she was nine or 10 years old.

When the girl finally disclosed the abuse to her mother and he was confronted, “the accused threatened to kill (the mom) and all of the children ... if police were told,” Durant said.

She said a sentence at the top end of the 12- to 15-year range proposed by Crown prosecutor Frances Turner and defence counsel Mitch Stephensen was warranted.

In a letter to the court, the father, who can’t be named to protect his victims’ identities, asked Durant for mercy.

“In his letter to the court (he) asks not to be separated from his family and tells the court that is what Satan wants -- not what God wants,” the judge said.

“The fact that (he) believes that he should somehow be reunited with his family after what he has done is nothing short of delusional,” she said.

kevin.martin@sunmedia.ca

On Twitter: @SUNKevinMartin