A judge handed down a jail sentence to former Winnipeg police officer Richard Dow Thursday morning after Dow pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault in May.
Dow ran a side modelling business while also serving on the force years ago.
He received a sentence of 18 months Thursday. A total of 54 days were deducted from that because of a delay in sentencing, meaning Dow will have 16 months to serve.
In May, he pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault and one charge of simple assault in connection with a series of incidents from 2000 to 2005.
The victims ranged in age from 17 years old to 23 years old and were assaulted during photo shoots.
Dow’s lawyer said she was disappointed with the sentence.
"Certainly we'd asked for a conditional sentence. So we're not in agreement that jail is the appropriate place for Mr. Dow. But that's the judge's decision and we'll have to live with that,” said defence lawyer Crystal Antila.
The judge said a conditional sentence would not be appropriate in the case.
The judge described Dow’s business as legitimate but of “low moral standards.”
In court, the judge said there was no basis to the Crown’s call for a five-year sentence, saying that would be “harsh and vengeful.”
