VANCOUVER, March 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - John Robin Sharpe was convicted yesterday of indecent assault committed against a boy in the late 1970’s. Sharpe, now 70, attained notoriety for taking his challenge of Canadian child pornography laws to the Supreme Court two years ago, after being charged for possession of child pornography. The Supreme Court laid down that some child pornography could be protected as free speech if it is found to have “artistic merit.” The man, now 35, told the court that he was around 14 at the time of the assault, which included sexual acts perpetrated by Sharpe. The man, who was given money by Sharpe, also related posing nude. Sharpe appears in court today regarding matters surrounding sentencing and whether his bail will be revoked. Sharpe, who dismissed his lawyer, questioned his accuser himself. In a Toronto Star report, the man said that as a boy, he trusted Sharpe as a friend and father figure. “I like Robin,” he told the jury. “But if somebody did that to my kids, I’d want to kill him.” The trial hinged on proving the fact that the accuser was under 14 at the time of the assault—the legal age in Canada for consensual sexual relations. Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage of Bill C-12. Instead of raising the age of consent for adult-child sexual contact from 14, one of the lowest ages of consent in the western world, to 16, the bill creates a category of “exploitative relationships”. Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews warned this is “a vague provision that will not serve as a real deterrent and will simply result in longer trials and more litigation,”. Sharpe praised the new Bill for offering “some unintended opportunities for the defence” of child pornographers. Read the report at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/feb/04022704.html See also the LifeSiteNews.com report “Majority of Canadians Want Stronger Child Porn Laws and Higher Age of Consent” at: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/may/02053105.html