Mike Chaddock was on top of the world in 1999 when he received a police humanitarian award from the Knights of Columbus.

On Monday, the former Peel police officer hit rock bottom as a convicted sexual offender.

Chaddock, 59, received a 5 ½ year prison sentence from Justice Bruce Durno in a Milton courtroom for having sex with a young elementary schoolgirl — an illicit relationship that lasted for nearly five months.

Given 12 months’ time credit for pre-trial custody, Chaddock has another 4 ½ years to serve in a federal prison.

It was a stunning fall from grace for a man who once organized Brampton’s Santa Claus parade and was a friend to many of the city’s political and business leaders.

An active community volunteer, Chaddock is now by all accounts a broken man with few friends, three failed marriages and no job. He betrayed his family and colleagues and physically and emotionally harmed a troubled teenage girl, who was 13 and in Grade 8 when the sexual affair began, court heard.

“As a society, everyone has the duty to protect, not abuse young persons,” Durno said. “She was a most vulnerable and troubled young person.”

Chaddock was working as an executive assistant to Brampton-Springdale MPP Linda Jeffrey when he was arrested in April 2009. He had held the job since 2003.

He was initially arrested after a complaint from the girl’s school. Halton Police laid sex charges against him in connection with his activities with a 13-year-old girl between November 2008 and March 2009 and was later released on bail. Despite being ordered to stay away from her, Chaddock resumed having sex with the girl in April 2010, when she had by then turned 14.

The former president of the Peel Humane Society pleaded guilty last January to two counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual interference and one count of breach of undertaking.

The girl was already suffering from psychological and alcohol and drug abuse and had been cutting herself, court heard.

Durno said Chaddock was “incredibly naïve, offensive and callous” to suggest — as he did to a psychiatrist — that he didn’t think his unprotected sexual relations would make “matters any worse” for her.

Although not forced to have sex, her age didn’t allow her to consent under Canadian law.

In breaching the court order, Chaddock asked the girl to undress in front of a webcam during one of their first email communications since their relationship had been interrupted by his initial arrest — something Crown prosecutor Amy Stevenson said at last month’s sentencing hearing was akin to “soliciting child pornography” from her.

Chaddock was rearrested in July 2010 and charged again with sexual assault. He’s been in jail for the past 10 months.

At last month’s sentencing hearing, Chaddock said he felt “ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated and remorseful” and promised never to do “anything like this” ever again.

“It goes against everything my parents taught me,” he told the court. He insisted he still has no idea why he became involved with the young girl.

“I have no rational explanations for my actions,” Chaddock said.

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Chaddock was 57 when he met the young girl through Lavalife, an adult dating site that he often visited from his office computer while working as Jeffrey’s aide.

She initially said she was 18 but then admitted she was 16. Chaddock stopped having sex with her about two weeks before his initial arrest when she finally admitted she was 13, but he did know she was 14 when they resumed having sex about a year later, court heard.

Durno recommended Chaddock be given sex offender treatment while in custody. He’s also prohibited from life for being in a public place where children under 16 gather and he can’t be involved in any volunteer work involving children under 16.

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