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A former Humber Valley man who has pleaded guilty to assaulting and threatening members of his own family has been given four months of house arrest.
The man in his mid-40s cannot be named because of an extensive publication ban requested by Crown attorney Brenda Duffy and granted by Justice Brian Furey of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The publication ban forbids the reporting of information that could lead to the identification of any of the witnesses or the accused. It incudes the reporting of any of the facts presented during a preliminary inquiry into the matter or during the submissions on sentencing that followed the guilty pleas entered in court last week.
The five charges to which he pleaded guilty to include two counts of uttering threats, one count of assault, one of forcible confinement and one of illegal possession of a firearm. The Crown withdrew five other charges of threats and assault.
On Monday, Furey endorsed the conditional sentence of 120 days that had been asked for by both Duffy and defence counsel Robby Ash in a joint submission on sentencing. The man will also be subject to 18 months of probation after the period of house arrest has been served.
Firearms and ammunition seized during the investigation into the matter were forfeited to the Crown as part of the sentencing.
The man will be forbidden from having any contact with the victims in the case and cannot possess any weapons or ammunition for a period of 10 years. He must also reside in Newfoundland and Labrador and notify the police of any change in his name or address up until his probation ends.
Furey said this case has been a difficult one for all involved and it was important that it was dealt with as quickly as it was. He told the sole victim who attended Monday’s sentencing that all the victims in this case were very strong in bringing the matter forward to be dealt with by the court and hoped the resolution would bring them some closure.
Furey also addressed the man directly, urging him to work hard at the issues that gave rise to the charges against him to ensure there is no repeat of what happened.
