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A community divided by the molestation of five young school girls by a male educational assistant will have to wait another 10 weeks to find out what his punishment will be.

About 25 supporters split between the girls and the 25-year-old offender attended a sentencing hearing at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench Friday, including elders on either side who addressed Justice Neil Gabrielson.

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The community is small and close-knit, with large extended families and so many people related to each other that the offender cannot be named without identifying victims, who were all between eight and 10 at the time of the offences, which occurred between 2014 and 2016.

The offender’s parents are elders at the school; his aunt was his supervising teacher and his sister drives the school bus in the central Saskatchewan community, Crown prosecutor Tamara Rock said, referring to agreed facts.

Families of the girls say they suffer hostility from the man’s supporters, as if they were responsible for discord in the community since charges were laid almost two years ago.