A former pet shop owner and the man who let a cobra snake loose in a rental house has been convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls who once worked for him.
Helder Claro was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation. The teenage victims testified that Claro caressed and groped them on several occasions in 2005 while briefly working in his pet shop.
One of the girls testified that Claro terrified her by talking about letting snakes loose in people's homes. The Crown argued that was Claro's way to exercise control over the teen.
Claro denied the accusations.
"I had those girls bumping into me all the time accidentally," Claro said Wednesday adding, "are you crazy?"
In court, Claro said the girls fabricated the allegations as revenge for firing them. The judge did not believe him and convicted Claro on three out of the five charges against him.
Earlier this year, Claro pleaded guilty to mischief and being a common nuisance after his pet cobra got loose and started slithering through the walls of his semi-detached rental home.
The wandering reptile terrorized tenants in a rooming house next door. Eventually, the residents were evacuated and a search for the cobra launched. But the wayward snake was never found.
Claro is free on bail while waiting for sentencing later this month.
With a report from CTV's Chris Eby
