Man receives conditional sentence for alley assault in Rosetown
EAGLE STAFF
A man must stay at home for 12 hours overnight for five months as part of a conditional sentence for his assault on a local man in a Rosetown alley last Christmas Eve.
Judge Bruce Bauer sentenced former resident Derek Skene, 49, to the conditional sentence, followed by 18 months on probation, last Tuesday in Kindersley Provincial Court after earlier finding him guilty of assault. Judge Bauer had presided over the man’s trial here on Sept. 25 and announced his verdict on Oct. 7 in Kindersley.
Skene took something from a front pocket and stabbed a man with it, the victim testified at the trial, although it was only later that he noticed a slight wound beneath a T-shirt with specks of blood on it. He had received the shirt as a Christmas present that night, he testified, and the object penetrated a sweatshirt the man wore over the shirt.
The incident started when Skene almost stepped into the path of a vehicle containing the victim, his spouse, and her daughter while taking a dog for a walk, a video showed. The accused then yelled at the vehicle, which stopped somewhere to the right in the video, taken from the security system of the building where Skene then lived.
The male victim came into the scene, and they yelled at each other as the dog jumped around on its leash before Skene “stepped forward and drove his hand into the ribs” of the victim, the judge said in giving his verdict. The victim apparently received the stab wound then. The accused did not testify during the trial.
Among his conditions, Skene must abstain from alcohol and marijuana—the latter except for medical purposes—take any counselling his probation officer demands, and must not contact the victim. The curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ends after the five months.
During his probation, Skene must follow the other conditions and complete 40 hours of community service. He must also pay a victim surcharge of $100.
Crown prosecutor Tom O’Hara asked for 120 days in jail followed by 12 months of probation, citing Skene’s criminal record of nine previous assault convictions.
Defender Monte Sheppard said his client was working part-time and had begun to take counselling. Sheppard asked for a 90-day conditional sentence and 18 months on probation.