IQALUIT - The man accused of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the deaths of three people in Cambridge Bay a few years ago has a court date set for Aug. 13.

Christopher Bishop was arrested in January 2007.

His case has been delayed several times over discussions about his legal representation. Bishop remains in custody at Baffin Correctional Centre.

Woman sentenced for child assault

An Arctic Bay woman was sentenced last week to time served and 18 months of probation for assaulting her one-year-old child.

According to facts presented in court, the woman, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, was travelling with her common-law husband and their child over land by snow machine. They got into an argument, and the child started crying. She hit it repeatedly, leaving bruises across its face, back and one arm.

During her probation, she is not allowed to be alone with the child, and has to take whatever counselling her probation officer directs.

Man kicked out for wife's assault

An Iqaluit man is legally required to leave his wife's home after she was convicted of assaulting him.

The woman pleaded guilty to assault for attacking her longtime partner while both were intoxicated. The judge sentenced her to a three-month curfew during which she must be home from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., stay out of trouble, not drink and attend anger management counselling as directed.

She is also directed to stay away from her spouse, but since they live in a home provided by her government job, her spouse will have to leave the house for at least three months.

Arctic Bay man escapes in handcuffs

A man who escaped from custody and spent two hours wandering Arctic Bay in handcuffs was sentenced last week to four months in jail for various charges including assault, not following court orders and obstruction of justice.

According to facts accepted by the court, the man and his wife were arguing when he threw a chair at her. On more than one occasion he violated a court order to stay away from his spouse. At one point, after he headbutted her in retaliation for her headbutting him, police arrested him but he escaped in the hamlet after he was handcuffed.

RCMP officers found him again, still in the cuffs, two hours later.

In court the judge asked why the man hadn't been charged with escaping from lawful custody. The Crown prosecutor said he got the lesser charge of obstruction of justice because he had spent so little time on the loose.

After serving four months, the man has to stay away from his wife, take anger management counselling, and report to a probation officer. There is no probation officer in Arctic Bay so he will be given access to the phone at the local RCMP detachment to keep in touch with one.