WARNING: This article contains details of abuse.
A former traditional healer at Ottawa’s Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health was sentenced to three years in prison for three counts of sexual assault in an Ottawa courtroom Monday, with the judge describing how he egregiously abused the trust his victims placed in him.
Ralph King had been found guilty in November after three women testified he inappropriately touched them during healing sessions at the centre in 2021.
King, 61, is an Ojibwe-Anishinaabeg healer from Moose Deer Point First Nation. He was charged in March 2022 after offering healing sessions at the Wabano Centre between November 2020 and March 2021.
King remained emotionless throughout Monday’s hearing as Justice Faith Finnestad read victim impact statements from the three women before sentencing him to 12 months imprisonment for each victim, to be served consecutively.
CBC News is unable to name the victims due to a publication ban.
Hugs and tears
The women hugged and shed tears with family members and Crown prosecutors outside the courtroom afterward.
“We’re glad this is done and healing can begin now,” one of the victims told CBC, speaking on behalf of the three women.
The sentence represented some measure of closure and accountability, another woman said, expressing surprise that King had been jailed.
“I didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t that,” she said.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.