The former executive director of the Prince Edward County Children’s Aid Society has pleaded guilty to one provincial charge, while the 20 criminal charges laid against him have been withdrawn.
In a county courtroom Monday, Bill Sweet pleaded guilty to one count of failing to care and provide for, supervise or protect a child as the executive director of the now-defunct children’s aid society.
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In April 2018, OPP charged Sweet with 10 counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and 10 counts failing to provide the necessities of life.
This was in relation to several cases of horrific sexual abuse that happened in foster homes in the Prince Edward County region during his tenure. Sweet was never accused of abuse in any of those cases.
Five foster parents chosen by the Prince Edward County Children’s Aid Society were convicted of sexually abusing the children put in their care.
As discussed in a Global News investigative series published in 2019, more than one child said they were not believed when they came forward to the children’s aid society with stories of their abuse.
Three of the victims in those cases, all whose names are protected by publication bans, stood up Monday in court to give victim impact statements.
One of the young women called her first foster home a “haunted house.” Another said there was “sheer disregard for my safety, wellbeing and my life,” while in care.
The young women described how their abuse led to issues like severe substance abuse, suicidal ideation and difficulty moving forward in life because of the traumatizing circumstances they endured while in foster care.
The cases of abuse spanned from 2001 to 2011, and involved 12 child-victims.
Despite the severity of the crimes committed against these children, both the Crown counsel and the defence put forward a joint submission that Sweet not face any jail time.
Instead, he will be put on probation for two years, made to offer a charitable donation of $3,000 to the Easter seals and St. Gregories Church and complete 100 hours of community service.
The judge accepted the plea and the joint submission, saying he does not believe Sweet deserved criminal convictions.
Sweet spoke publicly for the first time and listed the names of the victims originally named in the criminal charges.
“I know nothing that I can say can take away the pain, but I am deeply sorry,” Sweet said.
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He then specifically addressed the three young women who spoke in the courtroom Monday.
“You deserve to be listened to and believed. The system failed you, we all failed you, and that includes me,” he said.
Peter Napier, the crown counsel explained that he dropped the criminal case because if it had gone to trial, it would have been a complex and long-drawn out prosecution.
He believed it was in the public interest to put an end to what he called a long chapter in Prince Edward County’s history, and to give the community and the victims in the case some closure.