Ottawa man who sexually assaulted two women sentenced to more than 5 years in prison

An Ottawa man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for sexually assaulting two women, but it's unclear when he'll be put behind bars due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hussein Ali Kelkas, 33, was found guilty in March of three counts of sexual assault involving two women, whose identities are protected under a publication ban.

Court documents show one complainant, who was a college student at the time, met him in 2014 after he replied to her ad about renting out a room in her townhouse.

Documents show that after spending time together on a few occasions, he sexually assaulted her in her bedroom, forcing her to have sex without her consent.

The second complainant agreed to go out with Kelkas a few times after he messaged her on Facebook in 2016, and he sexually assaulted her in his car on two occasions. She was 18 at the time.

In a decision released last week, Ontario Superior Court Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin said Kelkas's actions were "very serious in nature" and have "deeply psychologically and physically affected" the complainants, now 26 and 22.

"Mr. Kelkas intimidated both complainants and they felt scared when they were sexually assaulted by him. He was aggressive and threatening during the sexual assaults," the judge wrote.

"Mr. Kelkas is still a relatively young man. I hope that with some assistance of the sexual offender treatment groups while incarcerated, he will gain insight into his unacceptable behaviours towards women and return to the community in better stead," she wrote.

O'Bonsawin accepted the Crown and defence's joint submission of 5 1/2 years of imprisonment, minus 32 days for the time he spent in custody while awaiting his sentence.

She also ordered that he submit a DNA sample, be registered as a sex offender for life, and not communicate directly or indirectly with the complainants. He also faces a lifetime ban on weapons.

The defence asked that Kelkas be allowed to turn himself in at the end of July due to the impact of the pandemic on the correctional system, but the ruling said prison staff are unsure if they can accept him at that time.

As a result, the judge wrote, Kelkas cannot turn himself in then, and his case will return before the court on Aug. 24 for an update and to determine the next steps.

Both complainants previously gave statements on how the sexual assaults affected them, which were read by the Crown during Kelkas's sentencing hearing.

One described turning to drinking and other unhealthy behaviours after being attacked in her own home, and said the medications for sexually transmitted infections she was given after her rape kit made her ill, court documents say.

The sexual assault forced her to cancel her dental board certification exams, which cost her money, and she lost wages due to her delayed entry into the workforce, the documents say.

"It has echoes in my life like a large stone thrown into a pond, rippling outward and outward: the waves of it have affected me emotionally, physically, economically and psychologically, time after time," she said, according to the documents.

The second complainant, who was a virgin when Kelkas sexually assaulted her, told the court the attacks stole "almost every special moment" in her life.

"You have ruined and affected my growth and time after high school," she wrote, noting she suffered from paralyzing anxiety and was confused for years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 27, 2020.