A Supreme Court of Canada decision in an Alberta case of historical sexual abuse is underlining how courts are required to handle sexual offences against children.

Paul Sheppard was ordered to surrender to authorities in April — roughly two months after he was granted full parole — when the Supreme Court unanimously allowed a Crown appeal that restored his original six-year sentence, handed down in 2021.

Sheppard, now in his 60s, was found guilty of sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching. The victim is Steacy Easton. The abuse happened in the early 1990s, when Easton was a Grade 7 student at the now-defunct Saint John's School of Alberta in the community of Genesee, where Sheppard was a teacher.

The Supreme Court released its reasons for judgment on Friday , finding nu

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