CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - A Scotchfort man who was involved in an assault that left the victim with fractured bones in his face and needing three surgeries was sentenced to 402 days in jail.
Joseph Michael Ryan Jadis, 29, appeared before Justice Terri MacPherson in P.E.I. Supreme Court for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to four charges that included assault causing bodily harm.
Crown attorney Nathan Beck told the court the victim was living in a motel on March 25 and was in his room when someone knocked on his door.
The court heard the victim opened the door to find Jadis, a woman and several other men there.
Beck said Jadis and the woman, who is still awaiting trial, went into the room and assaulted the victim who went in and out of consciousness.
The victim alleged that he woke up at one point to the woman spitting on him and telling Jadis to kill him.
Beck said the victim’s injuries included a fracture in the bone around one of his eyes and a fractured nose.
The victim spent two weeks in hospital for treatment and recovery.
He has since died, although the court heard his death was unrelated to the assault.
Beck told the court the victim didn’t get a chance to prepare a victim impact statement before he died, but he did testify during a preliminary inquiry.
The court heard that the victim had been in contact with victim services, and the worker who dealt with him provided Beck with an update.
Beck said the victim reported struggling with anxiety, he was constantly looking over his shoulder and he wasn’t eating or sleeping after the assault.
A Gladue report, which is a type or pre-sentence report prepared for Aboriginal offenders, was prepared for Jadis, who told its writer he initially thought the assault might have killed the victim.
Defence lawyer Joel Wonnacott told the court Jadis was taking full responsibility for his actions, and the assault was a wake-up call for him.
Jadis realized he was on a path that was destructive to him and other people around him, Wonnacott said.
Wonnacott also said Jadis knows he committed an offence that had a big impact on the victim.
“He understands the gravity of the offence,” Wonnacott said.
Before hearing his sentence, Jadis briefly addressed the court to say he wanted to apologize to the victim, the victim’s family, his own family and the court.
The Crown and defence made a joint recommendation on the sentence, which MacPherson accepted, saying she was satisfied it was in the public interest.
Jadis has been in custody since his arrest and with credit for time served he was left with no more time on his sentence.
After sentencing Jadis, MacPherson addressed him to say a lot of people walk out of court with no one there for them, but he is in a blessed position to have support.
Jadis needs to surround himself with people who will support him, and he needs to take that support.
Along with the jail time, Jadis will be on probation for two years, he will be under a weapons prohibition for 10 years and he must provide a DNA sample for the national databank.
