Convicted killer Kevin Gregson guilty of sexual assault

Former Mountie Kevin Gregson has been found guilty of first degree murder in the stabbing of Ottawa police officer Eric Czapnik. Gregson was also found guilty of robbery. Gregson is shown leaving the Ottawa Court house in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pawel Dwulit

The man convicted of killing Ottawa Police Const. Eric Czapnik was found guilty of sexual assault Wednesday morning and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Kevin Gregson, already serving a life sentence, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault and four counts of sexual interference on a young girl who was 10 years old at the time of the incidents.

The girl, now 13, spoke to Gregson directly before the verdict was read and said her life had changed forever. She was only able to get through the first sentence before breaking down in tears and the statement was read by someone else.

"I will give the chance of forgiveness…if you just say sorry Kevin,” she said in her statement.

“It doesn't have to be now, and it doesn't have to be directly to me.  You can even say it just to yourself Kevin but remember I will forgive you."

The court heard Gregson had raped the girl four times on different occasions in 2009. The incidents happened the week before Gregson killed Const.Czapnik.

“She’s an amazing girl,” said crown attorney Brian Holowka. “She’s heroic both in her disclosing this and coming to court and testifying and wanting to read her victim impact statement in his presence.”

Although additional years in jail cannot be added to the life sentence Gregson is already serving, Holowka said it was an important for the trial to happen.

“We felt it was in the public’s interest that even though it was a concurrent sentence that the victim should have her day in court,” Holowka said.

After the verdict was read, Gregson told the court he did not kill Cost. Czapnik and dreamt about all of this happening when he was 20 years old.

CTV Ottawa’s Joanne Schnurr was in the courtroom Wednesday morning and said Gregson showed no emotion during the girl’s victim impact statement.

Anna Korutowska, the widow of Const. Eric Czapnik, was also in the courtroom as the verdict was read.

Gregson was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Const. Eric Czapnik in March.

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Joanne Schnurr