Former Sask. group home employee pleads guilty to sexually assaulting residents with disabilities

A man accused of sexually assaulting and exploiting residents at a group home he worked at has pleaded guilty.

Brent Gabona is facing 10 counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability.

In a Rosthern community hall turned into a courtroom, Gabona pleaded guilty to five of those charges over the phone.

The crimes happened between 1992 and 2006 while Gabona was working at Shepherd’s Villa, a government-funded group home in Hepburn, Sask. for people with disabilities.

Rick Boguski trusted the staff to take care of his brother, Darryl - who lives with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and blindness. Instead, the pair sat in the courtroom to listen to Gabona’s guilty plea.

“Brent Gabona raped my brother for up to 17 years,” Boguski told journalists, holding Darryl.

“The fact that he can enter a guilty plea from the comfort of his home, while my brother stands here today, I think speaks volumes about the justice system and this case.”

In pursuit of accountability and answers, Boguski is filing a lawsuit against Shepherd’s Villa, the government of Saskatchewan, Brent Gabona, and Gabona’s mother — Myrna Andres — who Boguski says was Gabona’s supervisor at the group home.

The lawsuit is in the process of being filed at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench.

“This is a slap in the face, really, to every vulnerable individual across this country. The fact that this case can be treated the way it is — police really didn’t put that much effort into the investigation, the Crown was happy to have Gabona plead out,” Boguski said.

Gabona is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 11, where he’ll have to appear in person in Rosthern.

Meanwhile, Boguski says he reassures his brother he’s safe, out of Gabona’s care.

“If you can imagine, day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year of rape, violence, drugging — I don’t even know how Darryl is standing here today,” Boguski said.

“I’m so proud of him and I’m really disappointed in the justice system.”