Sentencing for former Barrie Subway manager guilty of sex crimes unexpected adjournment brings victim's families to tears
Families awaiting the sentencing of a former Barrie restaurant manager who pleaded guilty to six counts of sex crimes involving girls who worked for him were left in tears at the courthouse Friday following an unexpected adjournment.
Stephen Lemmond, who turns 50 in October, entered the courtroom in a wheelchair and handcuffs.
He was set to be sentenced by Justice Edward Carlton following a sentencing hearing earlier this month during which the court heard victim impact statements from several of the young women whom Lemmond admitted to sexually assaulting at work over several years.
Lemmond's family owned two south Barrie Subway restaurant franchise locations. He managed both franchises, which have since been sold.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
A publication ban protects the names of the complainants; however, several girls recounted their experience in interviews with CTV News in 2021.
Lemmond was arrested and charged in July 2021 and had been out on bail until earlier this month.
He was found guilty following a plea to charges including sexual assault and exploitation of six victims - four of whom were under 18 when they worked for him.
Earlier this month, the victims described the anxiety, torture and fear they experience to this day as a result of Lemmond's actions.
With Lemmond present, one victim told the court, "I'm in fear to live in a world where you walk freely."
She described suffering panic attacks and several suicide attempts, telling the court Lemmond robbed her of her innocence, future, and joy to live.
One victim's family member said, "This man is a monster. He was sexually terrorizing these girls."
Several victims said Lemmond threatened them not to tell anyone and warned them he knew dangerous people who could hurt them if they did.
He also gave some victims consent forms to sign.
Crown Attorney Indy Kandola has asked for Lemmond to be sentenced to eight years behind bars.
"Make no mistake, your Honour, Mr. Lemmond is a predator, a child predator and a coward," Kandola told Justice Carlton during the Aug. 8 hearing.
Lemmond's lawyer, Andrew Perrin, who did not appear in court Friday as scheduled, had previously asked his client be sentenced to between five to seven years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are "standing and intact," including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank dealing with direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
Reported rate of child pornography increased 52% in 2023, total crime up 3%: Statistics Canada
Last year, reported child pornography cases increased by more than 50 per cent in Canada, in part due to more cases being sent to police by specialized internet child exploitation units, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Justin Timberlake's attorney disputes he was intoxicated when arrested for DWI
A hearing in the case of Justin Timberlake being accused of driving while intoxicated was held Friday, where an attorney for the singer disputed his arrest in June.
What we know about 'malicious' attack on French train network ahead of Olympics opening
French transport was thrust into chaos Friday just hours ahead of the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony after a series of co-ordinated 'malicious acts' upended high-speed train lines.Here's what happened and what we know so far.
When Barbie learned what a gynecologist was, so did many other people, according to new study
A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film 'Barbie' had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health.
Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
Federal government posts $3.9B deficit in April, May
The result for the April-to-May period compared to a $1.5 billion surplus for the same stretch last year.