A former Thompson Rivers University student-athlete who was convicted in May of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl after a New Year’s party nearly three years ago has been ordered to serve three months in prison.
Matthew Rittinger was sentenced on Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops. He will be allowed to serve his sentence on weekends.
Rittinger was 23 when he met two young women, one 18 and the other 19, at a party on Dec. 31, 2014.
He invited them to his house after they had trouble finding a ride home.
Rittinger had been charged with the sexual assault of both women, but was convicted only of sexually assaulting the 19-year-old.
Court heard he aggressively groped her and tried to take off her clothes after she told him she wanted to sleep.
“Mr. Rittinger was persistent despite hearing the word ‘no’ more than 20 times,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop said in her decision.
“This offence requires a period of incarceration.”
Rittinger, a former member of TRU’s varsity golf team, lost his human-resources job as a result of the sexual assault.
Court heard he has also been banned from visiting TRU’s campus.
The Crown had been seeking a jail sentence of between four and six months, while Rittinger’s lawyer proposed a conditional discharge or probation.
In addition to jail time, Rittinger must also register as a sex offender for 20 years and surrender a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database.
He will also be prohibited from possessing a firearm for 10 years.
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