Man sentenced to five years for sexually assaulting Native girls

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A man found guilty on 12 counts of sex-related offences involving nine Native girls under age 14 was sentenced to five years in prison.

George Zimmerman was married to a dormitory supervisor at the Prince Albert Indian Student Education Centre when the incidents took place between 1976 and 1983.

A jury deliberated for eight-and-a-half hours before finding the 57-year-old Zimmerman guilty in November. The convictions include nine counts of indecent assault, one count of attempted sexual intercourse and two counts of sexual intercourse.

A hung jury was declared on four counts involving two girls and a retrial will be held on those counts.

But Alphonse Bird, chief of the Prince Alberta Grand Council, is angry with the five-year sentence. It reinforces Indians' beliefs that there's a double standard of justice, he said.

Crown prosecutor John Syrnick is considering appealing the length of the sentence.

Vice-chief Phil Morin of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, which is where the school is, says counselling services will be provided to the victims if they request it.

The PA Grand Council introduced a policy in 1993 that prevents spouses of employees' from living in the same residence as the students at the residential school.

The council also plans to set up an inquiry to deal with other allegations of sexual abuse at the student residence.