Prince Albert Provincial Court. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Crime

Pelican Narrows man receives 18-months jail after beating man with two-by-four

Aug 12, 2022 | 8:00 AM

A man who showed up uninvited at a house and proceeded to strike his victim multiple times in the head with a two-by-four, has received 18 months in jail.

Travis McCallum, 35, was sentenced Thursday afternoon at Prince Albert Provincial Court.

While initially charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, McCallum only pled guilty to the lesser charge.

The offense itself dates back to June 2020, when police responded to a residence at Pelican Narrows.

The victim, who was 27 at the time, was found unconscious on the back deck covered in blood. He was transported to hospital with what was believed to be a broken jaw and possibly a brain bleed.

International Spotlight

P.A.'s Howe one of 4 Sask. born players named to Canada's World Junior roster

11h ago

National

Ottawa to remove 30% investment cap for Canadian pension funds

15h ago

Budget woes

Golf and curling centre faces grim season without financial boost

18h ago

McCallum was arrested soon after and admitted to police he had been using cocaine.

According to witnesses, McCallum had shown up at a residence where people had been drinking all day and proceeded to engage in a “scrap” with the victim.

He was overheard saying he was going to kill him. Witnesses estimated McCallum had struck the man as many as seven times in the head with the chunk of wood before stomping on his head.

The witnesses also claimed that when they tried to intervene, McCallum threatened to kill them too.

The victim eventually recovered but had no memory of the incident, describing it as a blur. Medical records showed he suffered multiple fractures to the facial area, and also had a boot print on his face.

While the motive for the attack is not immediately clear, Crown prosecutor, Fatima Sarwar, explained there has been an incident between the two men months prior. She also explained that at the time in May when McCallum was found intoxicated and arrested for breaching court conditions, he in turn had multiple injuries, sustained by the victim.

Defense lawyer, Ron Piche, confirmed this and said McCallum was struck by a two-by-four, and had suffered two broken ankles as well as a broken wrist.

Acknowledging the timeline of the case, Piche also explained delays were caused by COVID and there had been multiple attempts to hold preliminary hearings.

Ultimately McCallum opted to take responsibility for his actions and has committed to addressing his addiction issues.

With credit for time spent in remand, McCallum has roughly 12 months remaining on his sentence.

–

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell