Idle Eyes singer, convicted of sex assault of minor, avoids jail time

Judge notes that the offence, which took place more than 20 years ago, was a one-time event for Campbell and happened over a relatively short duration

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The lead singer for the Vancouver rock band Idle Eyes has received a 12-month conditional sentence to be served in the community for molesting a young girl more than 20 years ago.

In August last year, Tad Campbell, 66, whose band won a Juno Award in 1985 for most promising group of the year and produced the hit Canadian single Tokyo Rose, was convicted of one count of sexual assault.

The victim, who was between the ages of nine and 11 at the time of the incident, testified that she idolized Campbell and his music and knew him well because her father was his best friend and Campbell frequently visited them at the family home.

The offence, which occurred sometime between September 1996 and January 1999, took place at the family home in Tsawwassen when the victim’s parents were away for the night.

In her parents’ room, Campbell gave her a massage under her clothing. He was kneeling behind her and his arm went between her legs to massage her chest and stomach area. She started to feel uncomfortable and her genital area was exposed.

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The massage continued for several minutes before she told him she wanted to go to sleep and asked him to stop.

In sentencing submissions, the Crown argued that B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Brundrett should hand down a nine- to 12-month jail term considering the circumstances of the offence and the offender.

Campbell’s lawyer argued that a more appropriate sentence was a conditional sentence of six months.

In imposing sentence, the judge noted that the aggravating circumstances included the age of the victim and Campbell’s violation of the trust that the family had placed in him.

The offence occurred in the victim’s home where she was entitled to feel safe and protected and had had a significant impact on her life, robbing her of her innocence and leaving her feeling depressed.

But the judge noted as well that the offence was a one-time event for Campbell and had happened over a relatively short duration.

While the level of interference of her bodily integrity was significant, it was not as invasive as some cases, he said.

“Whatever was motivating Mr. Campbell’s wrongful behaviour at the time, I could not ascribe a sexual motive to Mr. Campbell during the offence beyond a reasonable doubt,” said the judge.

“The incident was sexualized from an objective point of view, but I found that it may have occurred during a lapse of judgment in relation to his grossly misguided massage technique.”

Campbell will effectively be under house arrest for the first eight months of his sentence and must do 80 hours of community service. His conditions include that he not have contact with the victim. Campbell will then be on 18 months probation.