CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A 58-year-old P.E.I. man who has been battling mental health issues stood in court to apologize for his disturbing actions that caused great fear in the lives of two sisters.
“I understand I caused them emotional distress,’’ Joseph Grant Killorn told a provincial court recently.
“I accept the consequences.’’
Chief provincial court judge Nancy Orr sentenced Killorn to time served, crediting him with 45 days for the 30 days he had spent in jail.
Killorn pleaded guilty to four charges arising from actions in late June and early July towards two adult sisters.
The charges included uttering a threat to cause bodily harm and harassment.
Orr acknowledged that Killorn has struggled with depression for some time but also noted he consistently resisted offers of help over the past two years from many people going out of their way to try to set him on a better path.
Orr added Killorn has made “some positive steps’’ recently, such as attending addictions meetings daily.
The judge also said a pre-sentence report painted Killorn, who recently left his job as a resident care worker, as a loving father, a good person and a fun-loving guy.
However, ongoing mental health issues saw a downturn in Killorn’s behaviour. In a victim’s impact statement, one of the sisters wrote that Killorn’s threatening behaviour negatively impacted her sense of security.
Orr said positive changes have been observed in Killorn since his aggressive actions towards the women.
The judge placed him on probation for two years and ordered him to perform 120 hours of community service. He must also pay $400 towards the victim of services fund.
The judge ordered Killorn to write a letter of apology to the two victims and refrain from having any contact with them. He must also delete all social postings and close and delete all social media accounts. He is to refrain from using or accessing any social media.
“It is fair to say that you have completely abused social media,’’ said Orr.
Killorn is also prohibited from possessing any firearm for five years.
