Judge finds Iqaluit man guilty of sexual assault, calls him sexual predator

A Nunavut court judge said he is “satisfied” that Robert Sheaves is a sexual predator after finding him guilty of sexual assault Tuesday.

Sheaves was charged on Feb. 26, 2022, with sexual assault and sexual interference, stemming from incidents that occurred in Iqaluit in 2021 and 2022. At the time, RCMP described Sheaves as a 64-year-old man.

In court in Iqaluit Tuesday, Justice Paul Bychok spent more than an hour outlining the reasons for his decision to find Sheaves guilty of four counts of sexual assault. The sexual interference charges were stayed.

One accuser testified against Sheaves during his trial, which wrapped up in July. The victim, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, was in her early teens at the time of the assaults.

Bychok heard how Sheaves’s home was a place people would visit to hang out, drink, and get free cigarettes and money.

Sheaves did not argue against this testimony. Instead, he stated there were no ulterior motives to his generosity.

The majority of the trial hinged on the credibility of Sheaves and his accuser.

Bychok called Sheaves a “coarse and combative witness,” said he was rude to counsel, and that he displayed “contempt” for the complainant and others he had hosted in his home.

“He painted himself to be a selfless good Samaritan to those needy folks, young and old, who came to him for help. But when challenged in cross-examination, he painted many if not most of these same visitors as parasites and thieves,” the judge said.

“Still, he continued to have them in his home. This contradiction is entirely self-serving.”

Bychok concluded that Sheaves cannot be “taken at his word.”

He also noted that during the trial, Sheaves could not explain how the teen knew about a safe kept in his bedroom. She had this knowledge despite claims from Sheaves that he had barred access to his bedroom.

While Bychok found the girl’s video statement to police and her testimony credible, he did note problems with the video statements taken by the RCMP.

He agreed with the defence’s assessment that the teen had been high on drugs during the first video statement. He noted, however, that unlike Sheaves, her statements and in-court testimony had been consistent.

“The complainant’s explanations made sense,” Bychok said.

“They rang true, and I believe her.”

Upon his conviction, Bychok revoked Sheaves’s bail and he was taken into custody to await sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 12.