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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Lloyd Thrasher, a once promising Yellowknife musician, was slapped with a one-year peace bond Friday, ordering him to stay away from a woman he menaced during a career counselling session in January.

Territorial court Judge Christine Gagnon granted a 12-month peace bond against Lloyd Thrasher, seen here being led out of the Yellowknife Courthouse in handcuffs on April 20, 2011. Thrasher represented himself at his hearing on Friday. - NNSL file photo

Thrasher, who became notorious last year after being convicted of brutally stabbing and killing a dog he stole from a parked car, represented himself during proceedings in territorial court last week.

A female complainant was seeking a no-contact order following an altercation on Jan. 6 in the computer lab at her workplace. The court heard that Thrasher was using the computer lab at a Yellowknife career centre, printing pages and using the Internet, when the female staff member approached him and told him he was not allowed to access social media websites on those computers.

Thrasher admitted that an argument ensued, during which time he brought up his killing of a one-and-a-half year old Chinese pug he took from a car parked outside the Twist Resto Lounge on Jan. 27, 2010.

He told the court that he asked the complainant, "Why do you hate me? Do you own a dog? Do you own a pug? Is that why?"

The complainant testified last Wednesday that she wasn't sure whether Thrasher was threatening her, but she did feel afraid.

Thrasher told the court he was using the social media website for career-related purposes, while asserting the real reason why he was stopped from using the computers was that he made the workers there feel uncomfortable.

"I'm not saying that I'm proud I killed a dog ... I'm saying that I'm proud of what I'm doing now," said Thrasher.

During the course of a rambling 45-minute closing argument, Thrasher said he has felt shunned since being released from jail for the dog-killing and other offences last November, and that he is making efforts to turn his life around.

"I made a decision to not break the law anymore," said Thrasher on Friday.

Crown lawyer Alex Godfrey argued there was sufficient evidence presented by the complainant and her female co-worker that Thrasher threatened them sufficiently for the complainant to fear harm may come to her, her family or her personal property.

Ultimately, Judge Christine Gagnon ruled in favour of the complainant, granting a 12-month no-contact order with absolutely no direct or indirect contact between Thrasher and the complainant. Thrasher also must not attend the career centre where the complainant works or be within 10 metres of the building where the office is located, except to do business at other establishments in the building, said Gagnon.

Though Gagnon advised him multiple times throughout the course of the hearing to consider finding a new lawyer, Thrasher said he would continue to represent himself for his other outstanding court cases.

Thrasher is scheduled to appear before the territorial court next Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. to deal with a bail review, and outstanding charges relating to allegations involving two separate break-ins at Yellowknife convenience stores.

Thrasher has been kept in custody since the second break in at Willy's convenience store on Feb. 21.

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