In late March, a 53-year-old man, with a number of health conditions, was attacked and robbed at this downtown apartment building (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Sentencing decision delayed for teen charged after violent assault at Prince Albert apartment building

Dec 22, 2022 | 5:00 PM

A 17-year-old boy, responsible for a violent assault last March at a Prince Albert apartment building, will spend Christmas behind bars as a judge considers a fitting sentence.

The youth who cannot be named, as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was only 16 at the time of the incident. He appeared by video for Thursday morning’s scheduled sentencing hearing and has previously entered guilty pleas to aggravated assault, possession of weapon and breach of court conditions.

On the day of the incident, a 53-year-old man, leaving his residence at Rivercrest Apartments, was attacked and robbed in the hallway.

As per video shown in court, the man was repeatedly punched and kicked, bear sprayed, and hit over the head with a machete.

“They called me a ‘skinner.’ I told them I was not a ‘skinner’ and then he snatched my phone and then all of a sudden I got hit,” Crown Prosecutor Cam Scott said, reading the victim’s statement to police.

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According to the urban dictionary, “skinner” is a derogatory term used by prison inmates for a convicted and incarcerated pedophile.

The victim, who also had a number of underlying health conditions, spent some time in hospital with injuries to his heads and hands. He told police that while he recognized his attackers, he didn’t know them, and was not sure why they attacked him.

“He stated he was scared he was going to die,” Scott read.

Following the assault, the two suspects walked away and the victim, who was by now bleeding profusely, walked down the hallway and knocking on several doors and calling out for help. When no one answered, he opted to leave the building and encountered his attackers again outside.

“They told me they were going to kill me,” the victim said.

According to the pre-sentence report, the youth, who has no prior criminal record, admitted to being in a gang and lacked remorse for what he had done, even claiming he had done nothing wrong.

The joint submission from the crown and the defence is for a period of 10 months open custody, followed by five months of community supervision. Open custody essentially means the youth will be housed at the youth residence but could leave to attend school.

Noting the youth’s age, legal aid lawyer Loretta Markowski argued her client has matured since the incident, had been attending school, and had no issues with staff.

“He needs to get the help he needs, so he doesn’t remain in the system,” she said.

Markowski explained a catalyst for the incident appears to have the recent death of the boy’s grandfather, who represented a father figure. With no family support, the teen turned to substances as a way to deal with the grief he was feeling.

When asked by Judge Harradence if he had anything to say, the boy replied no.

“You might not be bothered by that video, but I am,” Harradence said, adding he was disappointed the teen offered no comment.

In the end, Judge Harradence reserved his decision to next Wednesday.

“If you can’t understand what the victim has gone through as a result of that senseless attack, then I’ve gotta think about what sentence really delivers a meaningful consequence,” he said.

The co-accused, and the man alleged to have struck the victim with the machete, Gerald Bear, has matters pending at Court of King’s Bench.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell