Regina man, 35, sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting teenager in 2018

Warning: This story contains details that may be disturbing.

Nearly two and a half years after being found guilty, Phillip Lionel Levac, 35, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl on two separate occasions, according to a newly released sentencing decision.

The ruling says the pair met in the weight room at the Fieldhouse and Lawson Aquatic Center in Regina. She said he approached her and asked for her number, offering to help her train physically.

Evidence showed that hundreds of messages had been sent between Levac and the teenager before the assaults.

He was 31 at the time, but told her he was 28, according to the ruling. He knew she was 14 at the time of the sexual assaults, which took place at her mother’s home in Regina on April 12 and 15, 2018. Both offenses were committed while Levac was on probation.

On December 9 of this year, Judge Graeme Mitchell sentenced Levac to 10 years for the first count of sexual assault and 14 years for the second. The sentences will be served concurrently. Upon his release, Levac is subject to a 10-year long-term supervision order.

According to Mitchell, Levac was detained for most of his adult life and has an extensive criminal history of violence and sexual violence, with the majority of his victims being women.

“Put simply, Mr. Levac is at an extremely high risk to re-offend at this time,” Mitchell wrote in his sentencing decision.

Levac will serve his sentence in a federal prison in British Columbia.

« Given his history of sexual violence, it is mandatory that he participate in and successfully complete a high-intensity violence prevention program prior to any consideration for parole, » Mitchell wrote.

Levac was also charged with two counts of sexual interference stemming from the same incidents, but those charges were stayed at the request of the Crown.

Mitchell explained the trauma the victim faced when making her sentencing decision.

“It appears from the two victim impact statements submitted in this case that the [victim] continues to suffer severe psychological trauma, » Mitchell wrote.

Crown calls for longer sentence

The crown pushed for 20 years in prison for Levac – eight years for the first offense and 12 years for the second offense – to be served consecutively.

The defense recommended a total sentence of 10 years.

Despite the assaults, the 18-year-old victim said she forgives Levac. She did so during the hearing of the Crown’s application to have Levac designated as a dangerous offender. Mitchell granted this designation in September 2022.

« It may sound crazy but I forgive you. Not for you but for me, » the victim, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, said in his witness statements.

The victim said forgiving her was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do, but it was the only way she could get on with her life.

After the assaults, the victim said she had trouble sleeping and suffered from flashbacks and migraines.

« It took me so long to realize that I wasn’t the problem. It was you, » the victim said in his statement. « I’m here today because you couldn’t keep it in your pants. You saw an opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable 14-year-old and you took it. »

The victim said she was beginning to recover, but the incident continues to affect her life.