Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 27/06) - A 41-year-old Yellowknife man who pleaded guilty to assaulting his common-law spouse while their two-year-old daughter was present will be spending the next 15 months behind jail bars.

Judge Robert Gorin sentenced the man in territorial court this week after hearing the facts surrounding the incident.

On Jan. 15, 2006, police received a call reporting domestic abuse at the residence.

An argument ensued, during which time the intoxicated man kicked his spouse in the back with his steel-toed boots and punched her in the face twice causing a bloody nose while their small daughter was present.

He was arrested the next day and released on an undertaking to refrain from contacting his spouse.

On Jan. 17, 2006, he broke the order by calling the woman and threatening to kill her.

Judge Gorin said counting the number of crimes listed on his criminal record was time-consuming.

"The facts speak for themselves. You have committed 10 crimes of violence and 13 crimes related to the administration of justice," Gorin told the man.

"I find the record highly aggravating.

"Were it not for your pre-trial detention and your early guilty plea, I would be imposing two years less a day," Gorin said.

The 15-month sentence was broken down as a one-year term for assault with a weapon, two-months concurrent for failure to comply and three-months consecutive for uttering threats.

A 10-year prohibition on firearms was also imposed.