Sentencing proceedings commenced on Friday for a former St. Francis Xavier University football player who was found guilty earlier this year on two charges of sexual assault. The Crown and defense presented differing views on the appropriate manner in which the sentence should be carried out.
Omogbolahan (Teddy) Jegede, aged 25, and the two female victims of the sexual assaults were all enrolled as students at the Nova Scotia university during the incidents in 2022 and 2023. The assaults took place on the campus in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Both victims delivered impact statements. One spoke from a screened area, avoiding direct contact with Jegede, revealing her struggles with PTSD, depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, and panic attacks. The other victim did not appear in court but had her statement read by the Crown, detailing how she suffers from headaches, anxiety, and nightmares, leading her to quit her summer job due to stress.
During the sentencing arguments, Crown prosecutor Courtney MacNeil urged Justice Frank Hoskins to impose a 27 to 36-month prison term for both offenses, emphasizing the seriousness of sexual assaults and the profound impact on the victims. In contrast, Jegede’s lawyer, Adam Rodgers, proposed a community-based sentence.
Rodgers suggested a conditional sentence to be served in Jegede’s hometown of Fort McMurray, Alberta, far away from the crime scenes and the victims. He presented supportive letters from members of the Nigerian community in Fort McMurray who know Jegede and his family.
Jegede, maintaining his innocence, described the post-conviction period as a mental and physical struggle when given an opportunity to address the court. Both the Crown and defense agreed that Jegede should provide a DNA sample for a national database and be listed in the national sex offender registry, but they disagreed on the duration of the listing. The Crown pushed for a lifetime registration, while Rodgers argued for a shorter period.
Justice Hoskins is scheduled to announce the sentencing decision on December 17.