Man sentenced to 10 years for Vancouver sexual assault and confinement

Mark Edward Grant has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for unlawfully confining and sexually assaulting a 61-year-old woman in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in January. He pleaded guilty last week to unlawful confinement and the lesser charge of sexual assault.

Grant had initially faced charges including sexual assault with a weapon, assault with a weapon and uttering threats. The woman’s identity is protected by a publication ban.

According to an agreed statement of facts read in B.C. Supreme Court, Grant and the woman were neighbours in the same single-room occupancy building. After they used drugs together on Jan. 7, he later invited her to his unit by saying he had obtained more drugs.

The court heard that Grant restrained and threatened the woman after she entered his unit around 12:15 a.m. on Jan. 8. The Crown said she did not consent to sexual activity. She escaped at about 5:15 a.m. after persuading him to release her by offering to get money for more drugs.

Vancouver police Sgt. Adam Donaldson said the sentence cannot make up for what the victim experienced, but said the conviction reflected the strength of the investigation.