Man pleads guilty to assaulting children

North Shore News
Published: Saturday, March 01, 2008

A former B.C. lawyer with a long history of involvement with children's groups has pleaded guilty to six sexual offences against kids dating back to the 1970s.

Gordon Hazlewood, 73, of Abbotsford, pleaded guilty Thursday in North Vancouver Provincial Court to four charges of gross indecency and two charges of indecent assault against boys, who were all under 14 at the time of the offences.

The charges date back to events that happened between August 1969 and November 1977.

Hazlewood was charged with the sex crimes in November after West Vancouver police reopened a file from 1989.

Hazlewood was first accused in 1989 of sexually assaulting a child. Police investigated, but no charges were laid.

In September of this year, parents of a number of the alleged victims came forward to police.

Det. Erin Findlay reopened the file from 1989 and tracked down the original complainant as well as other potential victims to corroborate the allegations.

Hazlewood, who was not represented by a lawyer in court, will be sentenced in May.