A man from Saskatchewan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to sexually abusing a young girl and creating images and videos of the abuse. Nicholas Melnyk, 36, was brought to the authorities’ attention when the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S. alerted the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit in early 2023 about a video posted on Snapchat from an IP address associated with a location in southern Saskatchewan.
Following a search warrant at his residence, officers apprehended Melnyk and discovered numerous photos and videos of child sexual abuse stored on his cellphones. Justice Graeme Mitchell, in his sentencing remarks, revealed that among the materials were 26 photos and four videos depicting a seven-year-old victim who Melnyk had abused multiple times between 2018 and 2019. The victim, not related to Melnyk, is protected by a publication ban to safeguard her identity.
Melnyk pleaded guilty to charges of sexual interference, producing child pornography, and possessing child pornography (referred to as “child sexual abuse and exploitation material” in the updated Criminal Code). The court documented Melnyk’s admission to undressing the girl, engaging in inappropriate touching, and encouraging reciprocal touching.
During the sentencing process, the Crown advocated for a 15-year sentence, which was reduced to 12 years under the totality principle to prevent undue punishment for multiple offenses. Conversely, the defense proposed an eight-year term, reduced to seven years after considering totality. Mitchell’s judgment, delivered in the Regina Court of King’s Bench, referenced a 2020 Supreme Court case, R v Friesen, which set new standards for child abuse sentencing, emphasizing caution for offenses predating the ruling.
The Supreme Court’s decision highlighted the escalating penalties for sexual crimes against children, with the maximum sentence for child sexual assault raised to 14 years from 10 years in 2015. Mitchell settled on a 13-year sentence for Melnyk but ultimately sentenced him to 10 years, combining seven years for sexual interference, two years for producing child pornography, and one year for possessing child pornography.
Despite not having a criminal record, Melnyk was not granted any remand credit as he was not detained during the court proceedings.
