A Winnipeg man was sentenced Tuesday to seven more years in prison and his common-law wife was sentenced to time served for sexually assaulting two girls, including a 12-year-old relative.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Gerald Jewers sentenced Terry Ladouceur to seven years in prison — on top of about two years already spent in custody — on eight charges, including kidnapping and sexual assault.

Lynnette Traverse, who was convicted of three charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement, was given credit for the two years she had served in custody and was to be released Tuesday.

Family members of the victims swore and sobbed in the courtroom, saying the sentences were too lenient.

'This girl has no hope ... no dreams'

Court was told that for several years since 1999, Ladouceur and Traverse lured the two girls into their house on promises of free liquor and drugs, then raped them. The assaults started when the girls were 12 and  13 years old.

One of the victims became pregnant with Ladouceur's child.

The relative had testified that she was held as Ladouceur's "sex slave" on a number of occasions over several months, was given pills and alcohol, and was tied to a bed and raped.

Crown prosecutor Jill Duncan told reporters outside court Tuesday that the extent of the depravity and perverseness in the case has rarely been seen, and it has had a profound impact on one of the victims.

"As indicated at the sentencing, there was a psychiatric report saying this girl has no hope. She has no dreams. She has no future. It's unfathomable the damage that this girl has undertaken," Duncan said.

Duncan said the Crown may appeal the sentences.

Sentences not lenient, defence lawyer says

Jeff Nichols, Ladouceur's lawyer, rejected the notion that the sentences were lenient and said his client may appeal.

Nichols called media comparisons of his client and Traverse to the notorious Canadian killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, convicted in the abduction and killings of Ontario teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, a "tremendous exaggeration."

But child advocates said the sentences were not long enough to fit the crime.

Rosalind Prober of Beyond Borders, a Winnipeg-based child advocacy organization, said the courts should not be shy to send the message that sexual exploitation against children will not be tolerated.

"The answer is in the courtroom," Prober said. "Where society hears about cases like this is in the media. The message they're getting is, 'Well, it's not that serious after all ... ' Instead of hearing, 'Nope, no tolerance. You do this, you pay a price.'"

Winnipeg Police Det. Harmen Wouda, the lead investigator on the case, said Tuesday that it was one of the most horrific sexual assault cases he had ever seen, particularly when it came to one of the victims.

"She was, at various times over a period of several months, manipulated to attend the residence, fed medications to make her become unconscious, fed alcohol … when she was unconscious, she was … basically victimized to a horrific extent," Wouda said.