A Ndilǫ man who threatened to kill a Fort Providence RCMP officer and his dog has received a 90-day conditional sentence.
The threats were “rather graphic,” said Crown prosecutor Jacqueline Halliburn.
Police had been called on June 23 after Malcolm John Bouvier assaulted his stepfather while drunk after being refused lodging in his house.
Officers found the 65-year-old victim with cuts and a bleeding nose, said Halliburn.
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When Bouvier, 43, was told he could not stay at the man’s house, the man “was punched several times in the face with a closed fist … and Mr Bouvier had also thrown a cupboard at [the victim],” said the prosecutor.
Police located Bouvier on the street nearby. When arrested, he provided a false name but was identified by a neighbour.
While he was being read his rights, Bouvier repeatedly threatened to kill a male officer and the officer’s dog. As he was placed in a cell, he unsuccessfully attempted to headbutt a female officer.
At the time, Bouvier was on a probation order to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. His case was scheduled to proceed to trial last week in the South Slave, but was resolved through a plea arrangement with the Crown.
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Bouvier pleaded guilty to assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. In exchange, six other associated counts were stayed.
The victim has suggested his stepson be allowed to serve his jail sentence in the community as it would allow him to look after the six children under his care, while still being held accountable for his actions.
Bouvier told the court he is trying to stay sober while dealing with a disintegrating relationship. Defence lawyer Jay Bran said Bouvier had been drinking and using drugs since his teens and had witnessed a lot of violence while growing up.
“He says that trying to deal with some of the trauma in his past, and the things he has seen and done, makes him feel lost, and upset, and mad. And he gets angry a lot … but he says the alcohol just makes it worse,” said Bran, adding his client doesn’t recall much of what happened on the night he was arrested.
“There have been a few times in his life, he says, when he feels that he has hit rock bottom. And this is one of those times.”
Judge Donovan Molloy agreed to the proposed 90-day conditional sentence on each charge – to be served at the same time – followed by a 12-month period of probation.
He noted the man’s good behaviour while on bail as a reason to agree to a sentence in the community.
While on probation, Bouvier will have to report to a supervisor and take counselling, but will not be prohibited from consuming alcohol.
He will have to provide a sample for the national DNA crime databank and be prohibited from possessing firearms for five years.
