CORNWALL – A man from Cornwall has been given an eight year prison sentence for sex-related offences against two homeless women.
Seventy-four-year-old Geza Gelencser was found guilty of sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for consideration, extortion, two counts of voyeurism and human trafficking following a jury trial in May.
Court heard Gelencser had exercised control over the women, who were addicted to drugs, recording them surreptitiously either partially clothed or naked and sexually assaulting one of them while she was asleep or unconscious.
The offences happened in 2021 and 2022.
The women’s identities are protected by a publication ban. One of them has died since court proceedings began.
During sentencing Friday (Dec. 12), Ontario Superior Court Judge Lia Bramwell said the women were vulnerable with a “debilitating drug addiction” and one had health issues.
Bramwell says Gelencser exploited their vulnerabilities and abused his position of trust as a court surety for one of the women.
“This must be denounced in very strong terms. As her surety, Mr. Gelencser was (a) civilian jailer and, as such, had tremendous power over her. Because he could with one phone call revoke his surety and send her back to jail,” Bramwell said.
The judge said the videos were “graphic, degrading and dehumanizing and represent an extreme violation” of both women’s dignity.
Gelencser also exercised control over the women with threats of withholding drugs, violence, withholding housing and distributing those intimate videos online.
Bramwell sided with the Crown’s sentencing submission for nine years but reduced it to eight under the totality principle that a sentence is not unduly harsh. With time already served since his arrest in October 2022, Gelencser is expected to spend about three years and three months in prison.
The defence has sought a six year sentence reduced to five under the totality principle with an overall sentence of six months after pre-sentence custody credit.
Throughout the sentencing decision, Gelencser listened to the judge through a Hungarian translator and either laughed or scoffed at some of the details.
At one point, Gelencser became upset. “So many lies,” he snapped. Bramwell warned him if he interrupted her again he would be removed from court and be sentenced in his absence.
Speaking with Cornwall Newswatch outside the courtroom, Gelencser’s lawyer, Daniel Nugent, was not surprised at the sentence.
“It was expected. Obviously we don’t agree with the decision but it is what it is,” he said.
Asked if an appeal is in the offing, Nugent said “I believe he has plans to appeal, yes.”
Gelencser will be on the national sex offender registry for 20 years and had to submit a DNA sample to police.