Man sentenced to jail for sexual assault charges

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — One man has been sentenced to jail for 135 days after he was found guilty. 

According to the BC Prosecution Service, Ralph Junior Achla, was charged with sexual assault on October 19th, 2022. 

This comes after a Fort St. John RCMP press release on January 2nd reported Achla was being pursued for several outstanding warrants. 

BC Prosecution Service said Achla was found guilty on January 28th, 2025, and the court ordered a presentence report with a psychiatric or psychological component. 

It said Achla was sentenced to 135 days in jail after the court credited 153 days of presentence custody as 230 days on April 10th, 2026. 

The effective sentence was therefore one year, the service added. 

The court has also imposed a probation order of two years to follow the custodial sentence, a 10-year firearms or weapons prohibition, a Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) order for a period of 20 years and a DNA order. 

According to Court Services Online, Achla will next appear in court on April 23rd to fix a date.