Hay River man sentenced to 18 months in jail for child luring

Nadeer Hashmi · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 2:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A Hay River antheral who pleaded blameworthy to kid luring has been sentenced to 18 months successful jail.

Jerome Bruha was astatine the sentencing proceeding Monday successful a Yellowknife courtroom.

He had already been listed connected a enactment offender registry for 20 years after a conviction successful 2019, but with this offence Bruha will present beryllium connected the registry for life.

N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice Sheila MacPherson said the Crown and defence's associated submission for 18 months is appropriate.

According to an agreed connection of facts, the incidents took spot successful December 2022.

At the time, Bruha was 24 years old when he contacted a 14-year-old miss connected Snapchat. He asked for bare pictures and made intersexual advances successful backstage messages to her, adjacent aft the miss repeatedly told Bruha that she was 14.

Crown authoritative Morgan Fane said the messages were sexually explicit and direct. Fane besides highlighted Bruha's past transgression record, astir notably a intersexual battle condemnation successful 2019 for which helium served two years successful jail.

Given these anterior convictions, Fane said "custody is perfectly required."

Bruha's lawyer said his client is remorseful and takes work for his actions. Michael Hansen said Bruha has besides taken respective sessions with psychologists, who accidental helium has been "sincere and avid successful his participation."

Bruha besides spoke successful tribunal and said what helium did was "unacceptable."

"I bash not instrumentality what I person done lightly," Bruha told the court.

Justice MacPherson said the sentence sends a connection of denunciation and deterrence. She said she besides took into relationship Bruha's blameworthy plea, which prevented the complainant from having to testify. 

A condition of his probation includes that Bruha won't beryllium capable to pass online with radical nether the property of 18 for 3 years aft his release.

With recognition for clip already served, Bruha volition beryllium successful jailhouse for different 11 months.

With this caller conviction, MacPherson said it's mandatory for Bruha to beryllium added to the enactment offender registry for life.