John Leonard MacKean (June 15, 1949 – August 14, 2014) was a Canadian man convicted of sexually assaulting a kidnapped 16-year-old boy.[4]

John Leonard MacKean
Born(1949-06-15)June 15, 1949[1]
DiedAugust 14, 2014(2014-08-14) (aged 65)[2]
NationalityCanadian
Known forSexual assaulting a captive 16-year-old boy[3]
Criminal penalty2 years imprisonment; 3 years probation

Crime

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MacKean's crime occurred in September 2012 in Nova Scotia, Canada. A 16-year-old boy was kidnapped by two men after being offered a "painting job". The teenager was then taken to a remote cabin and was blindfolded and chained. MacKean communicated with the two men holding the boy captive and arranged a meeting to use the boy for sexual services.[5]

The boy testified that he was blindfolded and crying while MacKean entered the cabin and performed oral sex on him.[5]

Conviction

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MacKean pleaded not guilty to the charges of sexual assault and communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a person under 18.[5]

In March 2014, MacKean was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to two years imprisonment followed by three years probation.

Controversy

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The short sentence of MacKean sparked controversy among Canadians. The sentence triggered an uproar of disbelief from Twitter users.[6]

Crown attorney Lloyd Tancock defended the sentence of MacKean. Tancock said that the penalty for those convicted of "communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a person under 18" ranges from no jail time to significant prison terms. Because of the wide range, other factors must be considered in the sentencing.[7] saying that it was relatively shorter because MacKean does not have a previous record and he was also only involved in the incident for a brief period of time.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Information Denonciation Court Document". Document Cloud. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  2. ^ "John Leonard MacKean, convicted in chained-teen case, dead in prison". CBC News. August 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Ware, Beverley (24 June 2014). "MacKean sentenced to 2 years in chained teen case". Herald News. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  4. ^ "John Leonard MacKean sentenced to 2 years in chained-teen case". CBC News. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Tutton, Michael (18 May 2014). "John Leonard MacKean Sex Assault Trial: Teen Says He Was Blindfolded, Chained To Bed". The Huffington Post. No. 2. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  6. ^ a b Elliott, Josh (24 June 2014). "'Zero remorse': Mother of raped teen reacts to MacKean's 2-year sentence". CTV News. CTV. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  7. ^ Blatchford, Christie (24 June 2014). "Two years for sex assault on teen makes case for mandatory minimum sentences". The National Post. The National Post. Retrieved 25 June 2014.