Olden Yadir Maldonado, 29, was convicted in January of two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, three counts of unlawful confinement, two counts of threats to cause death and sexual assault.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Darlene Acton left no doubt that she considered Maldonado’s crimes serious.

“These were violent, brutal and unprovoked assaults. Society does need to be protected from Mr. Maldonado. He was focused only on his own gratification, accompanied by the violence he inflicted.”

Maldonado picked up the women in the area of 118th Avenue on nights in April and May of 2009. He drove them to secluded areas before he punched them in the face, head or body, and forced them to have sex with him.

While attacking one of the women in his vehicle, Maldonado shoved socks into her mouth with such force that she suffered a cut beneath her tongue.

“Just go with it and I won’t kill you,” he told another woman during an attack. He threatened to slit the throat of another of his victims.

At his five-week trial, Maldonado testified he had consensual sex with two of the women and hit them only because they tried to steal from him.

Acton did not believe him and told court it appeared as though he were making it up as he went alone.

Two of the victims, who cannot be identified, had their victim impact statements read to the court in their absence.

“That awful day has taken so much from me,” one of the women wrote. “Words cannot express the pain, problems and headaches this has caused me.”

The woman also wrote about how having to experience her assault through testimony in open court was like “re-picking the wound.”

“I got more into drugs to numb the feeling that came up,” another woman wrote. “I thought he would come kill me. This crime has made me a junkie. I can’t go home. I can’t get clean.”

Both women emphasized they still suffer psychological effects of the attacks, including weight loss and lack of sleep.

Acton said an aggravating factor was that Maldonado targeted women who were particularly vulnerable victims because of their work in the sex trade. “This social group is incredibly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and victimization.”

When given the chance, Maldonado spoke briefly to the court.

“I would just like to apologize, you know, and take responsibility for my actions.”

Otherwise, Maldonado sat expressionless in the prisoner’s box, his head leaned back against the wall. He will now be on the sex-offender registry.

Maldonado received six months of credit for time served before trial and has a decade left on his sentence.

Crown prosecutor Carrie-Ann Downey had asked for a sentence of at least 13 years. Defence lawyer Andrew Fong had argued for an eight-year sentence.

The Real Estate Council of Alberta suspended Maldonado’s licence in June 2009, shortly after the charges were laid.

rcormier@edmontonjournal.com