A Whitehorse man has been sentenced to six years for a sexual assault that took place in 2015.

Anthony Skookum, 26, pleaded guilty to the charge, and Judge Donald Luther delivered his decision in territorial court last Thursday.

Luther noted this most recent charge was one of a long list of violent and sexual offences for which Skookum has been convicted.

These include stabbing a man in the chest in 2007, and entering a Porter Creek home where he sexually assaulted a young girl in 2011.

The complainant in the current case (whose identity is protected by a publication ban) knew Skookum through a mutual acquaintance.

In April 2015, she, Skookum, and two friends shared drinks at a Whitehorse park, then at a downtown bar, before taking a cab to Skookum’s father’s cabin on Long Lake Road.

Eventually, the two friends walked back into town, leaving Skookum and the complainant alone in the cabin.

The complainant continued to drink and eventually blacked out, fully clothed.

When she re-gained consciousness, Skookum was having sex with her. She had not given consent. She fell back to sleep.

When she awoke in the morning, she was naked from the waist down, and Skookum was asleep beside her.

The complainant walked to Whitehorse General Hospital, where a vaginal swab and testing of her clothing found DNA matching Skookum’s profile.

Crown attorney Sue Bogle asked for five to six years plus a 10-year long-term supervision order, and dangerous offender status.

Defence lawyer Lynn MacDiarmid asked for three to four years.

In his decision, Luther noted that Skookum had stayed out of trouble and held down a job between the April assault and his being taken into custody in August 2015.

Luther also noted MacDiarmid’s argument that Skookum was older and more mature now, and that this charge had acted as “a significant wake-up call.”

Still, while Luther said Skookum appears motivated to change, “We must do our utmost within the law to avoid creating more victims.”

Luther said he agreed with the opinion of a forensic psychologist who found Skookum at high risk for violent or sexual re-offence.

Luther then read portions of the doctor’s report.

“If Mr. Skookum is being truthful about his claims in total amnesia for the (2011 incident with the young girl) and no sexual interest in children, we have very clear information as to extreme ways he can be out of control during alcoholic blackouts,” read the report.

“He is capable of sexual assault against a child, something he claims to find reprehensible. With such a scenario, it’s hard to place outer limits on what he is capable of doing.

“Those actions came from somewhere and that somewhere was within Mr. Skookum, not some disembodied source.”

Luther sentenced Skookum to six years, plus a 10-year long-term supervision order. Skookum will receive credit for 22 months already served.

Luther also said he had no hesitation in finding Skookum to be a dangerous offender, and was insistent that programs, including sexual offender therapy, be made immediately available to Skookum .

“I’m really trusting that you’ll be able to put this behind you. That you’ll be able to move forward with your life,” Luther told Skookum in court.

“We’ve talked about some good plans you have for the future, but we cannot overlook the harm that you have caused to these three women, one of whom was a little girl.”