SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife man who pleaded guilty to several assault charges against the same woman was given a suspended sentence on Oct. 15 after a judge was convinced of his remorse.

During his first court appearance on Aug. 4, the man, 19, entered an early guilty plea.

"I know what I did was wrong. I feel weak about it," he said. "But it's not like I beated her to death. It's not like I shed blood."

He appeared in court last week, following more than two months in jail awaiting his sentencing. While in jail, he was the subject of much harassment, according to his lawyer.

The man agreed when Judge Bernadette Schmaltz called his behaviour contemptible, saying it was humiliating, possessive, degrading and disrespectful to the victim, his girlfriend at the time.

The first assault occurred March 16, when the man, who had been drinking, became jealous of the victim and another man and slapped her twice, pushed her, then spit on her several times, said Crown prosecutor Danielle Vaillancourt in a joint statement of facts.

The second incident was April 10. On that day, the man slapped the victim again and this time pushed her hard enough into a wall to make a hole.

The third assault came a month later on May 4, when the man became jealous of the victim again, this time calling her obscene names before pushing her around and throwing all of her possessions – including a laptop – onto the driveway.

If you're jealous of somebody, "you can't make them love you by beating them," Schmaltz told the man. "Think about that ... you'll have a relationship based on fear."

Defence lawyer Dan Rideout presented the court with a letter written by the man, in which he wrote, "I know what I've done is wrong. And I know words can't express how truly sorry I am."

Schmaltz said she hopes the man remembers the outcome of the assaults for a long time.

"A woman is not your property – (she's) not yours to control," she added.

While Schmaltz suspended the man's sentence, she did put him on an 18-months probation and said the Crown's recommendation – six to eight months in jail – would have been appropriate if his father and a friend hadn't written the court in support.

"Don't let all the people down who stood up for you – and don't let yourself down," said Schmaltz.

As part of his probation, the man must complete 150 hours of community service and stay away from the victim. If he breaches any of his conditions, he could face sentencing for the three suspended assault charges.