A Hamilton man pleaded guilty today to sexually assaulting a 7 year old for nearly a year and advertising the girl on Craigslist.

The details, of which we cannot completely share because of the graphic nature, had many people in the courtroom in tears and some had to leave because some of the details were just too awful to hear. The 35 year old man, who pleaded guilty to sexual interference and making and possessing child pornography, can’t be identified to protect the young girl.

The court heard he abused the child for a year, from June 2015 to April 2016. She was the daughter of the man’s girlfriend and he advertised the girl on Craigslist to solicit others to participate and four people did, including Sonya Lucas and Rui Dasilva. Lucas pleaded guilty in June to sexual interference and making and possessing child pornography. She’ll be sentenced next month. Dasilva was sentenced to eight years for his involvement.

Today the court heard the man would wake her up in the middle of the night, dress her in lingerie, take her downstairs and sexually assault her, recording it. There were almost 4000 images and videos of her on his phone.

The girl’s aunt, who has come to every court date, cried as she heard the awful details of the case. She was supported by members of the Toronto chapter of Guardians of the Children, a biker group dedicated to fighting child abuse.

This case is part of a police investigation called Project Links which began after the girl told her biological father what happened. The girl’s mother, who can’t be named to protect the child’s identity, was charged with failing to provide the necessities of life but had her charge stayed.