Edmonton nightclub employee, Matthew McKnight sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual assaults

Matthew McKnight, a former Edmonton nightclub employee convicted of sexually assaulting five women was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday afternoon.

McKnight was accused of sexually assaulting 13 women ranging in age from 17 to 22 between 2010 and 2016. He pleaded not guilty, but a jury convicted him on five counts.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Doreen Sulyma provided detailed reasons for sentencing decision for each of the five counts, factoring in such elements as whether McKnight wore a condom or whether she believed allegations that the victims were drugged.

In total, she assessed 16.5 years for the five counts, a number that she then reduced based first on her assessment of the “moral blameworthiness of Mr. McKnight,” on his perceived ability to be rehabilitated, and on an attack against McKnight at the Edmonton Remand Centre.

“A sentence of 16.5 years simply exceeds what would be just and appropriate,” she said Friday.

After 70 days at trial and an extended sentencing hearing, the case concluded on July 24.

Court heard McKnight, who is now 33, met most of the women in bars and assaulted them at his apartment. All but one of the alleged assaults took place in McKnight’s bedroom or bathroom.

Many of the women testified that McKnight plied them with drinks and in some cases, they alleged they believed the drinks were spiked with a possible date-rape drug.

They testified about blacking out and waking up naked in McKnight’s bed or in his shower.

Several victims told court that they have had nightmares, anxiety and thoughts of suicide since they were attacked.

The prosecution has asked for a sentence of 22 1/2 years in prison. Crown prosecutor Mark Huyser-Wierenga said that McKnight used each of his victims “as an object for his own sexual pleasure,” and deserves a harsh sanction.

McKnight’s lawyer, Dino Bottos, has called for a sentence five to nine years, suggesting that his client is a “a model for rehabilitation and reintegration.”

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