Comparing him to a vulture pouncing on a mouse, a Calgary judge today sentenced a man who raped his victim in a cemetery to 3 1/2 years in prison.
�He has sexual intercourse with her ... without her consent, in of all places a cemetery,� Justice John Rooke said of Stefano Priolo.
�Which shows the indignity he has towards her and the people buried in the cemetery.�
Rooke, who convicted Priolo, 30, last week of sexually assaulting his then-18-year-old victim, noted he took advantage of a �stupid� and �naive� young woman.
�It�s the stupid people that need protection,� he said, in finding a serious sentence was warranted.
�You can�t come across a person that�s vulnerable and lead them, literally, off into the woods and sexual assault them,� he said.
�This offender was a predator, a predator is like a vulture who pounces on a mouse, this predator pounced on a young girl, a young woman ... she was the mouse, he was the predator.�
Priolo met his victim late on the evening of Nov. 28, 2005, while walking near the end of the City Centre LRT route at 10 St. and 7 Ave. S.W.
When she asked him how to get to the nearby bus depot he said he�d take her there.
The woman, who was wearing pyjama bottoms without underwear because she was planning an overnight trip to Rocky Mountain House, then got into Priolo�s car.
Using the ruse of needing gas, he then drove her into the beltline area and then to the city�s north first stopping at some tennis courts and asking for sex.
When she refused he continued driving, taking her to Queen�s Park Cemetery where he forced himself on her.
Because the woman was only visiting Calgary, she was unfamiliar with the city and didn�t know she was being lured to a secluded spot.
Rooke said a stern sentence was warranted to send a message to both Priolo and other offenders, but stopped short of the five years sought by Crown prosecutor Les Grieve.
�Our community is no longer safe, you can�t go on the LRT after 10, you can�t ask for directions ... because of predators like this one,� Rooke said.
He also noted Priolo had no remorse for his crime.
�This victim is someone�s sister, your sister�s here, your mother�s here, how would you have liked someone to sexually assault them, so they wake up afraid at night,� he said.
