A man with a long track record of actions a judge called ‘beastly' against children, has officially been deemed a dangerous offender.
On Friday, 47-year-old Danial Gratton agreed with a decision from the court to put him behind bars for an indeterminate length of time.
The declaration by Justice Sterling Sanderman comes after Gratton pleaded guilty to several counts relating the abduction and sexual assault of two girls, aged 7 and 10, on two occasions in October of 2008.
The charges include two counts each of abduction and sexual assault, and one count of administering a noxious substance.
During Gratton's dangerous offender hearing Friday, emotional victim impact statements were read in court.
One of the victims' mothers read her statement herself.
"As I look upon you I could spit in your face," She said. "I don't know you, but I hate you,
"I despise you and wish you were dead,
"I [watched] my child scrub her skin in the shower until it bled trying to erase the memory of you."
The distraught mother spoke about how her child's life has changed since her ordeal in October of 2008, saying, "My child is numb to the real world today."
She finished her statement by saying: "Rot in hell, you son of a bitch."
Her child's statement was also read out in court, in it she said. "I'm ashamed of it,
"I didn't want to get known as the girl who got raped because she was stupid enough to get in a car for kittens and ice cream,
"I've never felt so dirty in my entire life."
She also wrote of her outlook on life in the aftermath of the experience.
"Now, because of him I hate life, I don't see the point anymore,
"You're born, you live, and you die. That's how I see things now."
She wrote in large letters that she hoped he would die.
The Crown said the best treatment possible was not adequate to manage Gratton's risk of re-offending, and the only resource left was to protect society.
Gratton also addressed the court during the hearing, and apologized to the victims and their families.
"I'm very, very horrified by the things that I've done," Gratton said. "For these things I'm sorry."
He said that over one year ago, disgusted by his own behaviour, he decided to start taking a drug for chemical castration.
Gratton's status reflects his continued high-risk to re-offend, regardless of treatment programs he's completed in the past.
With files from David Ewasuk