A man from the Red Pheasant Cree Nation has been handed a six-year prison term for committing what the judge described as “appalling” offenses. Blaisen Nicotine, aged 27, admitted to engaging in inappropriate contact with two minors for sexual gratification and disseminating child pornography.
During Nicotine’s sentencing at the Battleford Court of King’s Bench, Justice Brenda Hildebrandt condemned the abhorrent nature of the acts, emphasizing that the harm inflicted on the children was intolerable. One of the incidents transpired at a school within the Red Pheasant Cree Nation, as per the RCMP’s initial disclosure when Nicotine was charged. The police were alerted to the situation after the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit was informed by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children about a video being circulated on a social media platform.
According to the facts presented during Nicotine’s sentencing, he was captured in a bathroom stall recording himself engaging in inappropriate behavior when a young student entered the restroom. Nicotine then beckoned the child over, all while recording the incident on his phone and forcibly pulling the child’s arm toward him. Subsequently, Nicotine shared the footage on a social media platform, circulating it to multiple individuals.
The second victim, a 13-year-old who misrepresented his age as 18 when communicating with Nicotine online, engaged in sexual activities with Nicotine at a private residence during a brief relationship. The victims’ identities have been shielded by a publication ban, and no impact statements were presented in court.
Crown prosecutor Danie Cillers and defense attorney Daryl Royer jointly proposed a six-year imprisonment term for Nicotine. Despite acknowledging that the typical starting point for sentencing in such cases is usually higher, Cillers considered Nicotine’s troubled background, characterized by early exposure to violence, alcohol, and substance abuse, along with being victimized by strangers and family members during childhood.
Nicotine expressed remorse in court, seeking forgiveness and expressing deep regret for his actions. The judge accepted the agreed-upon six-year sentence, recognizing its appropriateness given the circumstances. Hildebrandt commended Nicotine for sparing the victims from testifying due to his guilty pleas and encouraged him to utilize the rehabilitation programs available during his incarceration. Following credit for time served on remand, Nicotine has approximately three years and nine months remaining in his sentence.