The sentencing for convicted child sex offender Michael Berry has been delayed after Berry was diagnosed with cancer.
Justice Paul Williamson of the B.C. Supreme Court was to have sentenced Berry, 73, Jan. 26 for sexually abusing five girls over a period of several decades in North and West Vancouver.
Crown prosecutor Elliot Poll has asked that Berry be sent to jail for between eight and nine years.
But instead, last Thursday Berry's defence lawyer asked that the sentencing be adjourned so Berry could attend a medical appointment.
Berry has recently been diagnosed with cancer and may need immediate treatment, the lawyer told the judge.
The delay marks the latest in a series of setbacks that have beset the case. Berry's health problems created delays previously, and others came about when Berry fired several different lawyers.
In April of last year, Williamson found Berry guilty of sexual offences against four of the victims. Berry had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of gross indecency in relation to a fifth girl.
In asking for a lengthy jail sentence, Poll noted that most of the girls were between 10 and 13 when they were sexually abused and that Berry was in a position of trust with them.
In the past, Berry taught drama classes at Capilano College and worked on various film projects including The Beachcombers in Gibsons. He also had a home in Gibsons where some of the assaults allegedly took place. He was arrested at his home in Horseshoe Bay in May 2005.
Berry's defence lawyer has asked the judge to consider a conditional sentence to be served under house arrest.
Williamson adjourned the case until later this month.
— North Shore News
