Former Woodstock mayor Trevor Birtch was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison Tuesday for two sexual assault convictions in a case the judge said represents a “catastrophic fall from grace.”

The sentences handed down by Superior Court Justice Spencer Nicholson against Birtch, 51, include two sentences to be served concurrently: One for four years eight months, another for six months.

Birtch was convicted by Nicholson in January 2025 of two counts of sexual assault for a series of incidents in 2021 and 2022 that involve the same woman, who cannot be named by court order.

The maximum sentence for the pair of convictions was six years. The defence suggested a sentence of three and a half years.

Nicholson said a sentence at the top of the available range was warranted, saying Birtch took advantage of a vulnerable person in part by using his position as mayor.

Treated victim like she was ‘property’

Nicholson said the victim had struggled with addiction and that Birtch had used drugs and alcohol frequently and provided her with both during their relationship.

“Mr. Birtch, you treated the victim like she was your property,” said Nicholson ahead of delivering his sentence. “She was treated like an abused animal. She was not. She was a human being, entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”

During his trial, the court heard that Birtch forced the woman, who he was dating on and off, to perform a sexual act on him during a drive back from Turkey Point.

The other conviction stems from a series of assaults, including one that happened while the woman was asleep.

“You took advantage of your position, for your own sexual gratification,” said Nicholson. “The evidence in this case demonstrated, for all to see, the callousness, the indifference, that you demonstrated to this victim, and to women in general.”

As part of his sentence, Birtch agrees to a 10-year ban on possessing weapons. He also has to submit a DNA sample and is not allowed to contact the victim.

Nicholson also recommended as part of his sentence that Birtch be given access to treatment for drugs and alcohol during his time in custody.

Ahead of reading his sentence, Nicholson also made reference to nine letters of reference submitted on Birtch’s behalf that describe him as hard-working and deeply religious.

“While much of what is stated [in the letters] may possibly reflect the person that Mr. Birtch may once have been, as mayor or otherwise, it is clear that the person he was towards the victim in this case was very different,” said Nicholson.

More sentencing to come

Tuesday’s sentencing concludes one chapter in what has been a long series of legal troubles for Birtch, who was first elected as Woodstock’s mayor in October 2014 and re-elected in October 2018 before being soundly defeated in 2022.

Birtch is due to be sentenced on June 16 on a separate counts of sexual assault and assault, which he pleaded guilty to in April.

Birtch also pleaded guilty in February 2025 to impaired driving, those charges the result of a 2023 collision with another vehicle near Ingersoll.

SOURCE: CBC