Former Sparwood Fire Chief, Rick Goold, has been imprisoned for charges related to touching three young girls for sexual purposes.
Goold, 57, who pled guilty to three separate charges in June, received a seven-and-a-half month jail sentence with a two-year probation order.
Crown counsel, Ann Katrine Saettler, said both crown and the defence had taken the same position on sentencing, and the fact that Goold had come forward himself with information about two of the charges was taken into consideration.
Initially there was only one charge against Goold when one of the girls came forward to police with a complaint. Upon police investigation, Goold admitted to the offence and then came forward with information about two other offences.
“It is quite unusual in that he not only admitted to the first offence that police were asking him about, but then came forward with additional offences that he was not being investigated for,” said Saettler.
The three girls were all aged between six and nine at the time of the offences, which took place between 1999 and 2005, while Goold was Fire Chief in Sparwood.
“The offences were not related to his duties as Fire Chief,” said Saettler.
“The girls were friends of his daughters and all the offences took place in the Goold home.”
In April 2000 Fire Commissioner Bob Turley presented Goold with the Fire Service Exemplary Service Medal for 20 years of service.
Goold first appeared in court in Cranbrook in October 2011 and was convicted on June 27.