TORONTO — An Ontario man who fled to Pakistan after being found guilty of sexual assault has been sentenced in absentia, which a Toronto judge calls a "phenomenally rare occurrence."
Moazzam Tariq was sentenced today two years and nine months in prison.
Justice Mara Greene says there is no doubt that Tariq has absconded and says she decided to proceed with the sentencing largely because of the needs of the victim in the case.
Greene recounted that Tariq had met a woman at a Toronto nightclub, where he hit on her and provided her with alcohol, even though it was clear she was already intoxicated.
The judge says Tariq then took the woman to a hotel, where he sexually assaulted her without her consent while not using a condom.
Greene says Tariq knew how intoxicated the woman was and took advantage of the situation with a general disregard for her safety.
A Toronto police detective who has worked on Tariq's case says the man fled the country before his sentencing using a Pakistani passport that he had not turned over to police.
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