A Tuktoyaktuk man will spend three months under house arrest for slapping a cop and spitting on his spouse.
In Inuvik Territorial Court Feb. 20, the offender, who Inuvik Drum is not naming to protect the identity of his spouse, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting a peace officer and one count of assault. Chief Judge Robert Gorin sentenced him to one day in jail, put him on a nine-month conditional sentence with a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., placed him on three months house arrest and fined him $100. He also ordered the man to provide a DNA sample and placed him on 12 months probation following his sentence. Because he has work obligations, Gorin allowed him to begin his house arrest in May.
"It seems to be you have a serious drinking problem," said Gorin in his judgment. "Your behaviour takes a turn for the worst when you consume alcohol."
Crown prosecutor Annie Piche told court RCMP were called to a domestic assault in progress on Oct. 1, 2018. When they arrived, they found them intoxicated on the streets. The officers placed him under arrest, cuffing his hands in front of him.
When they arrived at the detachment and police asked him to get out of the car, he became aggressive, swinging his arms around and slapping one of the officers in the left cheek.
His problems continued Aug. 25, 2019, when police were called to a hotel in Inuvik at 3:45 a.m. on a noise complaint. Hotel staff told RCMP the offender's spouse was seen at the front desk with blood on her face and had asked them to call.
Piche said the man came down to the hotel lobby and began yelling at his spouse and then spat on her.
"She was very vulnerable because she was injured," said Piche. "She was terrified. To spit on her in such circumstances is demeaning."