A convicted sex offender who sexually abused a 13-year-old boy whose family remained unaware of his criminal background because he legally changed his name has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ryan James Knight pleaded guilty in July to sexual interference and making child sexual abuse and exploitation material covering the period from August 2024 to March 2025. Court proceedings revealed that the boy’s family originally hired Knight, who was in his early 40s at the time, to complete basement renovations. Knight subsequently hired the child to perform odd tasks at his own residence down the street, where the continuous abuse occurred. Years prior, Knight had changed his last name from Gabourie. Because of this alteration, online background checks conducted by the victim’s family failed to reveal that he had been convicted approximately two decades earlier for breaking into children’s homes and sexually assaulting them. Provincial Court Judge Kael McKenzie noted during the sentencing that the family was deceived, adding that the offender left a multi-decade trail of trauma. The abuse was uncovered in March 2025 after police pulled over a truck driven by Knight with the boy inside past midnight. Officers initiated an investigation upon realizing Knight had no familial relation to the child, eventually uncovering the repeated assaults. Crown attorney Katie Dojack read from an agreed statement of facts detailing how Knight took the boy to movies, let him sleep over, and occasionally lent him a cellphone and computer. Seized electronics subsequently contained child sexual abuse images of the victim. The boy told investigators he initially hesitated to report the abuse to Child and Family Services due to a lack of trust and fear that they would inform his father, noting he felt embarrassed and had been warned by Knight to stay silent. During the inquiry, police discovered a second teenager had also interacted with Knight. The mother of the 14-year-old boy stated she had known Knight for nine years before cutting off contact after noticing behavioral changes in her son and hearing concerns from family members. While police initially stated Knight faced charges regarding two teens, court records indicate other charges were stayed. Victim impact statements described a profound shift in the primary victim, whose father and grandmother noted that his previous warmth and spark had been replaced by persistent anger and withdrawal. Prosecutor Dojack emphasized that social stigmas around male victims often intensify shame and embarrassment. Defense counsel Theodore Mariash stated his client’s own childhood involved severe abuse. Addressing the court from the prisoner’s box, Knight apologized for taking away the families’ right to know his background and causing deep harm. Court documents indicate Knight has a little over 13 years remaining on his sentence when factoring in enhanced credit for time served, alongside strict conditions prohibiting contact with the victims.
Source: cbc.ca
