Bus driver jailed for raping woman with cerebral palsy

OTTAWA A former ParaTranspo driver who raped a passenger with cerebral palsy and a developmental disability on the floor of his bus was sentenced to four years behind bars Tuesday.

Judge Ann Alder said a substantial penitentiary sentence is required to express society's "shock and disgust" at the breach of the vulnerable victim's trust.

Victor Fuentes, 54, pleaded guilty earlier this month to sexual assault for the attack in May 2011, after his DNA was found on the 26-year-old woman's underwear.

The woman who was using a wheelchair was aboard the bus when Fuentes pulled over on the side of Prince of Wales Dr. He told her he'd liked her for a long time, had her lie down on the floor, pulled down her pants, groped her, stuck his tongue in her mouth and raped her.

The defence sought between 18 months and two years less a day in a provincial jail that offers psychiatric treatment.

Fuentes' lawyer said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from being tortured behind bars in his native El Salvador.

Alder said she would have given him more than four years the Crown's position if it wasn't for Fuentes' remorse, guilty plea and willingness to seek help.

megan.gillis@sunmedia.ca

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Bus driver jailed for raping woman with cerebral palsy