Cop gets house arrest on sex charges

CBC News Posted: Oct 26, 1999 6:02 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 26,

1999 6:02 AM ET

A former RCMP officer has been sentenced to one year's house

arrest for sexual assault. David Ebsary,48, had been convicted

earlier this year of four sex-related charges involving two teenage

boys.

The charges go back to the mid-1980s when Ebsary was stationed on

the West Coast.

As part of the sentence, Ebsary must do 340 hours of community

work. The crown wanted a prison term, but Judge Seamus O'Regan

said the conditional sentence would actually be tougher. He said

Ebsary would have to serve the full sentence and unlike in prison

wouldn't get time off for good behaviour.

The judge said one benefit to the conditional sentence is that he can

"order" Ebsary to take counseling. He said if he had sent Ebsary to

prison, he could only "suggest" counseling.

Ebsary refused to talk about the sentence.