Former Canterbury mayor gets house arrest, probation

Robert Wayne English, 72, was sentenced on Jan. 23 to nine months of house arrest after pleading guilty to sexual assault. He was also placed on probation for 12 months.

Associate Chief Judge Brian C. McLean said English must also undergo assessment and counseling for sex offenders. He was ordered to register with the federal DNA database and the national registry for sex offenders for 10 years. He was also fined $100 and ordered to have no contact with the victim or his family.

English was charged by RCMP after taking a male minor in his truck to a remote wooded area where he sexually assaulted him on Aug. 29, 2021. Judge McLean said English lured the youth into his vehicle and then drove down a dirt road in the woods where he carried out a “predatory attack” on the victim. The judge described the incident as a “serious sexual assault” that caused significant psychological trauma.

“The moral blame on Mr. English is high,” Judge McLean told the court.

In passing sentence, McLean considered the age of the accused, and his physical and mental health challenges, including an injury from an industrial accident in 2010, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

The judge noted English followed all the conditions of his release since his arrest. He had no prior criminal record and “denied any previous sexual deviance” in his pre-sentence report.

English was mayor of Canterbury for 17 years, an employee of the Nackawic Mill for 51 years, and served with the Southwest Valley Development Commission for decades. Today, he lives alone and is socially isolated from the community.

English did not apologize when he stood to address the court but said he was taking responsibility for the crime. He came to court carrying a cane and a group of family members sat in the courtroom with him.

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