Six months of house arrest followed by three years of probation for a former Canada Post shop steward in Prince George who was convicted of sexual assault.
That is the sentence Justice Dev Dley ordered March 31 for Aaron David Paul Brandly, who touched a co-worker’s buttocks and breasts without her consent. After a BC Supreme Court trial, Dley acquitted Brandly of both criminal harassment charges and a second sexual assault charge.
Dley said a suspended sentence would not “address the gravity of Mr. Brandly's offending conduct and the impact it has had.”
Dley was not convinced Brandly poses a danger to the community, despite a pre-sentencing report that remarked on his limited insight into the factors that caused the crime.
So he decided on house arrest rather than jail.
“I am satisfied that the emphasis on deterrence, both specific and general, together with an expression of denunciation, can be satisfied by a six-month sentence followed by a lengthy period of probation,” Dley said. "This is proportionate to Mr. Brandly's degree of moral blameworthiness and the gravity of the offence.”
Dley said aggravating factors included "repeated and persistent sexual touching” without consent and in the workplace. It severely impacted the victim, who moved away, lost income and suffered physically and emotionally.
The victim provided a statement to the court that said Brandly’s behaviour “caused her considerable trauma and upheaval,” Dley said.
“I struggle with a constant sense of fear and unease, which has eroded my confidence and sense of safety,” said the letter from the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban. “The trauma has left me battling ongoing feelings of shame, sadness and self-doubt, making it difficult to fully engage in day-to-day life.”
She said the result has been sleep-deprivation, anxiety, headaches, muscle tension and fatigue.
From a mitigating standpoint, Dley acknowledged that Brandly is a first-time offender, has not breached bail terms, has a good support network and expressed genuine remorse and willingness to rehabilitate.
“As abhorrent as Mr. Bradley's conduct was, it is on the lower-end of the spectrum,” Dley said. “There are aggravating factors that I have already referred to, there will be some aggravating factors in virtually every case.”
Brandly admitted during testimony last November that he may have used inappropriate language, but denied sexually assaulting the complainants or causing them to fear for their safety. He explained that he was simply joking around with workplace buddies.
While Brandly, 54, attempted to portray himself as respectful and sensitive at the workplace, Dley said “he was anything but.”
One of the women worked at the depot from August 2017 to August 2024, the other from January 2022 to August 2024. They both accused Brandly of constant assault and harassment, including vulgar remarks “about camel toes, asking the complainants to smell his fingers, pull his penis, writing vulgar messages on their vehicles,” Dley said on Jan. 6.
During the house arrest, Brandly is prohibited from possessing alcohol and non-prescription drugs. He must attend a psychiatric intake assessment or treatment program through forensic psychiatric services, as directed by a probation officer.
Brandly is banned from contacting, directly or indirectly, the victim and must not be within 100 metres of wherever she is.
He is allowed to temporarily leave his residence for one two-hour absence per-week and if he should require emergency medical treatment.
