We are asking BC Prosecution Service to re-evaluate the 18-month house-arrest sentence given to Timothy Schlosser, who sexually abused a 4-year-old child in Fort St. John.

As parents and community members, this is terrifying. House arrest is not justice for a child who will carry this trauma for life. Tim Schlosser is able to work, shop and be out in public in certain hours, have company over, celebrate Christmas with his family and live almost normally and that is nowhere near a real consequence for causing harm to a child. It feels like barely a punishment at all.

We know BC Prosecution can step in when a sentence is too soft. They did it with Justin Sewell, who originally got house arrest for sexual assault. His sentence was reviewed and increased because it didn’t match the seriousness of the crime. So why is the same thing not happening here, especially when the victim was only four years old?

This decision sends a dangerous message to future offenders. It tells them they might only get a few restrictions at home. Not real jail time, even after harming a child. Many of us are scared that Schlosser could reoffend, and that light sentences like this could embolden future offenders. 

As a community, we cannot sit quietly while our childrens safety and trauma are dismissed this easily.

We are calling on BC Prosecution to:

-Review and re-evaluate the sentence given to Timothy Schlosser.

-Give a stronger sentences that actually reflects the seriousness of child sex crimes in the future

-Put children’s safety first, not an offender’s comfort.

Our kids deserve better. Our community deserves better. A child abuser should not be sitting comfortably at home for 18 months while families live in fear. Victims should not be scared out of their hometown because the justice system refused to keep them safe. This is not justice, and it is not protection.

We are asking BC Prosecution to do the right thing and take another look at this sentence immediately.

This happens far too often. Here are a couple examples below;

Edward Berry; 8 months jail for child-porn images & videos. Original child sex charges dropped due to delays

Sean David Parker: 18 months house arrest for large child-porn collection.

Mark Keenan; 2 years less a day house arrest or possessing & distributing child porn.

Luke Strimbold: 2 years minus a day for sex offences involving boys under 16.

Joel Daigle: 18 months house arrest for child pornography and distribution of child pornography

Signed,

Concerned residents of Fort St. John and supporters across Canada who would like to see harsher penalties for child sexual abuse crimes, and it starts with fixing cases like this one.