Shawn Kayaitok, seen entering the Iqaluit courthouse for his sentencing hearing on Sept. 10, drew a life sentence on Thursday. (CBC)

A man who pleaded guilty to killing a five-year-old girl and sexually assaulting two boys in the remote hamlet of Kugaaruk was sentenced Thursday to life in a federal prison without eligibility for parole for 18 years.

Shawn Kayaitok, 23, entered his plea on Sept. 8 on three charges, including one count of second-degree murder in the March 9, 2006, death of the girl, who was raped after she was smothered in a dark shack. Searchers later found her body in an empty water barrel.

Kayaitok had originally pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

In a joint sentencing recommendation last week, the Crown and defence said Kayaitok should serve seven years in prison for the two sexual assaults, which involved boys aged seven and 14 in separate incidents committed prior to the 2006 murder.

For the murder charge, lawyers agreed that Kayaitok should be sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole for 18 years.

Sought longer term

'This sentence is the end of living as you know it. This sentence is the beginning of your survival.'—Nunavut Justice Robert Kilpatrick

In a written decision released Thursday, Nunavut court Justice Robert Kilpatrick ruled that he would not exceed the lawyers' joint recommendation of 18 years before Kayaitok would be eligible for parole.

However, Kilpatrick added, he would have imposed a longer period of parole ineligibility for Kayaitok had the lawyers not submitted a joint recommendation.

Even after 18 years behind bars, Kayaitok will only be granted parole if he can convince the National Parole Board that the risk he poses to children can be "safely managed," the judge wrote.

Longest sentence in Nunavut

The sentence handed to Kayaitok is the longest sentence for a second-degree murder conviction in Nunavut's history.

Offenders convicted of second-degree murder must serve a minimum 10 years in prison before they can apply for parole.

"This crime, a crime involving a very young child, is a profound violation of southern Canadian social norms. But it is also a repudiation of important cultural values cherished by both traditional and contemporary Inuit society," Kilpatrick wrote in his decision.

"Caring and respect for the vulnerable, whether a child or elder, is one of the oldest of Inuit traditions. An attack upon a vulnerable victim is deserving of special censure in Nunavut as it is elsewhere in Canada."

Kilpatrick also sentenced Kayaitok to 4½ years in prison for the sexual assault on the seven-year-old, and a consecutive sentence of 2½ years for his assault on the 14-year-old.

'Your future is dark'

Kayaitok will also be added to the national sex-offender registry. Among a number of restrictions, he will be prohibited from being within 50 metres of any place where children may be found, or engaging in any paid or volunteer work involving children.

The judge wrote that Kayaitok "will be watched" and monitored for the rest of his life, noting that "it is unlikely that Mr. Kayaitok will ever be allowed to return to Nunavut."

Kilpatrick wrote that the court would oppose Kayaitok's return to Nunavut unless the territory can build up enough community resources to address Kayaitok's situation.

"As a result of this sentence Mr. Kayaitok, and your separation from society, you can now count your common-law spouse and child among your victims," Kilpatrick wrote in his decision.

"Your future is dark. Your family life is over. Your child will grow up without you. This sentence is the end of living as you know it. This sentence is the beginning of your survival."

Kilpatrick's ruling was read out in an Iqaluit courtroom Thursday afternoon. Kayaitok sat expressionless in the courtroom, a crucifix hanging outside his jail-issued blue sweatshirt.