Nine year sentence for Dionne

John Dionne was arrested February 25, 2011 in connection with the abduction of a 10-year-old girl.

The man who kidnapped a young girl from Deerfoot mall and left the city with her will spend nine years behind bars.

John Francis Dionne pled guilty to approaching the 10-year-old in February 2011.  Dionne pretended he was a cop arresting the girl for shoplifting.

He got her into his van and started heading toward Airdrie.

RCMP pulled him over for speeding, as the girl sat in the passenger seat next to him. She didn't say anything and Dionne drove on. He let her go at a nearby fast-food restaurant.

“We're just glad we don't have to deal with this again,” says the victim’s mother.  “It's been about a year or so in the process and every time it comes up it brings back memories so we're glad it's over and done with.”

The judge has ordered community supervision for 10 years after Dionne is released from prison.

Dionne has a history of sexual offences and violence against females as young as 10-years-old.  Dionne is HIV positive.