A Kamloops man with multiple convictions will spend six-months behind bars for beating his girlfriend.
Wade Zachariah Young, 50, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
He appeared in Kamloops provincial court on May 18 via videolink from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, where he is serving a sentence on an unrelated matter.
Court heard that just after midnight on Jan. 10, a neighbour found Young’s naked girlfriend banging on their door, asking for help.
Crown prosecutor Evan Goulet said Young had been drinking, became angry with his girlfriend and punched and kicked her. She tried to leave and Young hit her in the face and kneed her in the ribs, telling her he would kill her if she left. She managed to escape the house, but Young followed her to the yard, ripped off her house coat and dragged her back, naked, toward their house before she got free again.
Young’s girlfriend was in court for the hearing. Goulet said she was intent on supporting Young in his recovery. Young also assaulted his girlfriend in August 2022, punching her face and damaging her phone to stop her from calling for help, which Goulet described as “important background.”
Goulet said Young has 27 prior convictions, which include six assaults — three of which were on an intimate partner.
Addressing the court, Young, who has a history of drug and alcohol addictions, said he regretted not taking treatment more seriously years ago and apologized for his actions.
“I know I need help,” Young said.
Judge Marianne Armstrong told Young that intimate partner violence is a concern for the court and that his history was “deeply troubling.”
“Every year, many, many women die at the hands of their partners. Many more women are injured and traumatized at the hands of their partners,” Armstrong said.
The judge accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence counsel that Young serve six months in jail, followed by 18 months of probation, which includes having no contact with his girlfriend except for via telephone, attending drug treatment and not possessing weapons.
The Crown stayed charges of assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats in connection with the Jan. 10 incident.
