Kelowna man sentenced for years-long sexual abuse of child
The following story involves the sexual abuse of a child. Reader discretion is advised.
A Kelowna man was handed a nine-year prison sentence Thursday for sexually abusing a child hundreds of times over a nearly nine-year period.
Warren Fradette, 46, pleaded guilty last September to repeatedly sexually assaulting a child while she was between the ages of seven and 15. Fradette is the former president of the Joe Rich Sportsman's Association.
The identity of the victim is protected by a publication ban, and Castanet will not be publishing details about the offences to ensure the victim's identity is protected.
In his sentencing submission, Crown prosecutor Jason Hatherly said the “degree of physical interference” in Fradette's abuse was at “the extreme aggravated end” and said it was a “drastically bad case of child sexual abuse.”
After suffering for years in silence, the victim went to the Kelowna RCMP. When Fradette was arrested in Kelowna, police found a loaded handgun in his vehicle and $9,000 in cash in two envelopes.
The next day, police found several pages of handwritten notes at his house that appeared to suggest he had planned to take his own life.
The notes, written one day before Fradette's arrest, included his “last will and testament” and instructions about what to do with his body and his cats.
“It's pretty obvious about what's about to happen, I never meant to hurt anyone,” he wrote. “I knew what I was doing was wrong and I'm so very sorry for that, but I felt I had limited options.”
In a letter addressed to the victim, Fradette wrote: “You were my soulmate trapped in the wrong generation.”
'I will never fully heal'
During Thursday's sentencing hearing, the victim told the court about how the years of abuse impacted her.
“I lived in fear, confusion and a constant sense that something was wrong. The impact of this has followed me into my daily life ... I often feel anxious and on edge,” she said.
“I've had to grow up much faster than I should have and carry emotional weight with me that most people my age do not carry ... I've barely been able to leave the house, worried about possibly running into him in public.”
She's been diagnosed with depression, severe anxiety and severe PTSD.
“I will never fully heal from this, I will have to go to therapy for the rest of my life,” she said. “I'm asking the court to understand the seriousness of what I have experienced and the long-term impacts it has had on me.”
Moderate risk to reoffend
Crown prosecutor Hatherly sought a 10-12 year prison sentence, while Fradette's defence counsel Colby Johnson argued that a six-year sentence was appropriate.
“In this case we have hundreds of instances of sexual abuse ... it's her entire childhood, she only gets one,” Hatherly said.
Despite claiming that he's “not attracted to children,” Fradette has since been diagnosed with pedophilic disorder, and a psychological report concluded he's a moderate risk to reoffend, as he “possesses limited insight into his behaviour.”
He blamed his offending on a “dark loneliness” that he felt at the time.
Johnson said Fradette has a long history of employment and is now in a long-term relationship with a woman who's near his own age.
Speaking to the court following sentencing submissions, Fradette said he takes “full responsibility” for his offending and apologized to those who were impacted.
“I'm deeply ashamed for my behaviour and the impact it has had,” he said. “I should never have been so stupid. I'm ashamed of the decisions I made and I regret it fully, not because of the punishment I'm going to receive but because of the horrible impact it had on others ... I respectfully ask the court to consider my remorse when determining my sentence.”
Nine-year sentence
In delivering his sentence, Justice Alan Ross acknowledged Fradette's remorse he conveyed in his statement, but noted that his pre-sentence and psychological report writers highlighted Fradette's attempts to “minimize his offences.”
“I note that Mr. Fradette at the time of the psychological assessment, continued to deny certain aspects of the allegations against him,” Justice Ross said.
In addition to the nine-year prison sentence imposed, Fradette will be on the Sex Offender Information Registration Act for a period of 20 years. He's also barred from being within two kilometres of the victim's home for the rest of his life.
"Mr. Fradette, you have a long period of incarceration ahead of you. I commend to you the treatments that will be available to you therein," Justice Ross said. "I hope for your and society's sake that rehabilitation comes to you."
So, if we guess at 300 rapes or sexual assaults, that means he was sentenced to about 10 days per rape. With early parole, maybe 5 days per rape. Canadian justice! How utterly pathetic! The creep is liable to get out before the victim turns 20.
Man charged with child sex abuse, flees to Paris, Ukraine: court
A year later Chitrena sent an email to RCMP, stating he would return to Canada in exchange for a lighter sentence. He was arrested at Calgary airport on Nov. 13, 2025.
Boucher noted the prolonged impact on the victim and their family who were forced to wait for resolution. When asked by Judge Harradence if Chitrena had returned voluntarily, Boucher replied Chitrena was running short on finances and his passport was about to expire.
“It was now or never for him,” she said.
Defence lawyer Evan Strelioff explained Chitrena had received divorce papers from his third wife and his plan was to go to Ukraine and participate in the conflict. Due to his age, he was turned away.
“It was an elaborate suicide attempt,” Strelioff said, adding Chitrena did in fact have money to stay longer.
‘He realized what he was doing was foolish so he came back to Canada to face the music.”
Chitrena, a former RCMP officer, was terminated in November, 2020 following accusations he downloaded an intimate image of a female inmate. He would later receive a conditional discharge meaning the charge has been erased from his criminal record.
When provided the opportunity to speak, Chitrena acknowledged his policing background will make his sentence even tougher and said he knows it is essentially a death sentence.
N.S. youth facing charges related to child sexual abuse, exploitation: police
Published:
Police say a Halifax-area youth is facing charges related to alleged child sexual abuse offences.
The RCMP says its Ideologically Motivated Criminal Intelligence Team in Ottawa learned last month that a youth was active on several online forums associated with “violent and harmful content.”
Officers with the force and Halifax Regional Police executed a search warrant at a home in Kinsac on Wednesday.
Police say a youth was arrested and several electronic devices were seized.
The youth has been charged with:
- possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material
- accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material
- making, printing, publishing, or distributing obscene matter
The youth appeared in Halifax provincial youth court on Thursday. They were released on conditions, pending a future court appearance.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
