Man gets 9 years for taking girl from Calgary mall, pretending to be policeman

CALGARY – A sex offender has been sentenced for kidnapping a 10-year-old girl from a Calgary mall and personating a police officer.

John Francis Dionne was given a nine-year prison term, but with time served, it works out to 7 1/2 years.

Dionne has been labelled a dangerous offender, meaning he will be subjected to 10 years of probationary supervision once he is released.

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He approached the girl in February 2011 at Deerfoot Mall and asked her if she was shoplifting.

He identified himself as a police officer and told the child she had to go with him.

Dionne took her north of the city in his van, asked her for the $110 she had with her and then dropped her off at a fast-food restaurant, giving her a kiss on the side of the mouth.

Court has been told Dionne has a history of sexual offences and violence against females as young as 10 and is HIV positive.

The girl said in a victim impact statement read at Dionne’s sentencing hearing in June that she feels depressed and paranoid as a result of her ordeal.

The girl said thinking about what happened makes her nauseous.

(CHQR, The Canadian Press)