A former Alberta Party candidate pleaded guilty in a Calgary court on Wednesday to internet luring and sexually touching a teenage girl he met through social media in 2016.

Terrence Lo was arrested by RCMP outside an Airdrie restaurant in September of 2016 and charged with eight offences including; child luring, sexual assault, sexual interference, obtaining sexual services for consideration, invitation to sexual touching, abduction and resisting arrest.

The charges were laid after a complaint was filed with RCMP from a teen who said she had been sexually assaulted by a man who she had met at an undisclosed location in Airdrie.

She told police that she originally met the man online and that he identified himself as a 34-year-old named George.

Lo, now 48, was an Alberta Party candidate and resigned before the 2015 provincial election.

He was released from custody with conditions after his arrest and appeared in a Calgary court on Wednesday.

Lo pleaded guilty to luring and sexually touching a person under the age of 16.

Defence attorney Tonii Roulston says her client is very remorseful and is aware of the impact of his actions on the young victim.

“The guilty plea is indicative of remorse in this particular case,” she said. “Mr. Lo did not provide an excuse or justification for what he did. What he did was, he took responsibility for his actions and that’s when the guilty plea was entered.”

The judge accepted the guilty plea and sentenced him to 2.5 years in prison with conditions that include a ten year prohibition from speaking with anyone under the age of 16.  

“The Crown and I had several discussions regarding this and we both felt, as did Justice Yamauchi felt, that this was an appropriate sentence for this particular offender,” said Roulston.

Lo will also be a registered sex offender and the judge recommended that he undergo sexual offender counselling while at Bowden Institution.

“Bowden does have a sexual offender program and for these types of offences it seems to be able to accommodate rehabilitation,” said Roulston.

Lo is also prohibited from using the internet unless it is for work or school purposes.