Convicted of sexual assault, former Woodstock mayor sentenced

CTV’s Nick Paparella with the sentencing for former Woodstock mayor Trevor Birtch in a sexual assault case.

A London courtroom heard how after serving two terms as the mayor of Woodstock, the life of Trevor Birtch started to unravel between 2017 and 2022.

Birtch, a 51-year-old divorced father of three, started intimate relationships with several women in the city.

Fueled by drugs and alcohol, in two separate cases the court heard how he sexually assaulted the women.

In handing down his sentence in one of the cases, Justice Spencer Nicholson said, “Mr. Birtch, this case represents what I consider to be a catastrophic fall from grace ... the depths to which you have fallen is truly remarkable and quite saddening.”

Convicted on two counts of sexual assault, the court heard how he attacked one victim while she slept, with Justice Nicholson saying, “Mr. Birtch was only interested in his own sexual gratification.”

He went on to say, “Here, I find that the violence of the sexual assaults was particularly humiliating and degrading to the victim.”

The judge added, “The victim was a very vulnerable person ... she suffered from depression ... as a person with limited financial means she was susceptible to Mr. Birtch’s promises of favours as the mayor of Woodstock.”

Justice Nicholson went on to say, “Mr. Birtch, you treated the victim like she was your property, or worse, your pet that you could do whatever you wanted to her when you wanted. She was treated like an abused animal. She was not.”

The judge then handed Birtch a sentence of four years and eight months.

As Justice Nicholson handed down his sentence, Birtch stared straight ahead and when he was led away by the court constables, he showed little or no emotion.

After this case, Birtch’s legal woes will continue, because in the other case of sexual assault, which initially ended in a mistrial, he eventually pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of assault.

The court has heard that he’ll be sentenced in that case on June 16 with any prison term running concurrent to Monday’s sentence.

In between the two sexual assault cases, Birtch was also convicted in an impaired driving case in February of last year.

Before he was led away, Justice Nicholson added, “I am going to recommend that you be provided access to treatment for both drugs and alcohol addiction ... I don’t know if you can climb back up but I do hope that you try for your own sake.”

Before being sentenced, the court heard that Birtch is trying to move on with his life and is now engaged to be married.