Defense attorneys seek conditional discharge for former CFL All-Star

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Former Calgary Stampeder Jerome Messam says he can’t use the loss of his career and media attention to significantly reduce the punishment he receives for secretly recording sexual attempts. Prosecutors said Thursday.

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Criminal attorney Janice Walsh said the conditional release sought by defense attorney David Nguyen does not sufficiently punish Messam’s conduct.

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Nguyen proposed a waiver that would waive his criminal record if Messam met the conditions while on probation.

Nguyen told King’s Court Judge April Grosse that the loss of his football career and the media attention Messam’s criminal prosecution has generated should be taken into account when determining the appropriate punishment.

However, Walsh said these were a natural consequence of Messam’s criminal behavior and should not lead to a reduced sentence.

Walsh has been sentenced to 18 to 24 months with probation for voyeurism charges for recording a consensual sexual encounter with a woman at his home in Calgary on November 11, 2016. proposed a judgment with

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The woman first learned of the recording months after Messam sent Snapchat snippets of the sexual attempt.

Prosecutors said the loss of his CFL career and the media coverage of his criminal case “does nothing to diminish the criminal’s moral reprehensibility.”

“The CFL has its own course of action,” Walsh said of the permanent league suspension Messam received when he was charged with voyeurism.

“The CFL has exercised its discretion. Its collateral consequences are inevitably related to the charges facing Mr. Messam.”

She added that Messam has stepped into the public eye by becoming a professional athlete and has benefited from media coverage in the past.

“Mr. Messam has certainly benefited in the past with favorable media attention,” she said.

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However, Nguyen said the press surrounding Messam’s indictment has not only affected his ability to find work, but has also been difficult for his partner and six-year-old daughter.

And he said a criminal record could affect your chances of staying employed in the future.

Nguyen said Messam now operates training facilities in the Toronto area, primarily for minors contemplating a career as an athlete.

“Currently he is operating with no criminal record and working with children with no criminal record,” the attorney said.

Nguyen said a Google search of his client’s name found nine of the first 20 articles focused on coverage of his indictment.

Messam pleaded guilty to the charge of voyeurism.

In his final court appearance, his victim said his actions changed her life.

“I can’t relate to the carefree person I was before this happened,” she told the court.

Grosse plans to reserve her sentencing decision at a later date.

KMartin@postmedia.com

Twitter: @KMartinCourts