by Chris Meyers Almey
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 28/97) - The wife and two children, one crying, were in court Tuesday to see the husband and father sentenced to jail for 30 days for assaulting the mother.

It happened last Dec. 10 about 3 p.m. on Franklin Avenue after the family left Williams Avenue to go downtown to a medical clinic.

For some reason, Roger Calvin Lucas was insulting and swearing at his wife while walking along the street.

Near the firehall he became enraged and punched her in the stomach, Crown prosecutor Diane Sylvain said in territorial court Tuesday.

The doctor's appointment for the wife was scrubbed and the verbal abuse continued at home for several hours.

Lucas, 41, told Judge Brian Bruser that he was drunk and had been a chronic marijuana user for five years, but hadn't smoked any for a while and was irritated.

Lucas, who has a lengthy criminal recording including one sexual assault conviction, refused the judge's offer to speak to a lawyer and said he would take whatever punishment the court handed out.

He said he had completed treatment for alcoholism on Jan. 23 and had taken control of his life.

"I have been through four other treatment programs, but didn't take them seriously," Lucas said.

Bruser said, "What you did to your wife was degrading and humiliating."

Noting the blow to the stomach was done in the presence of their children, Bruser said the emotional injury to the wife would probably be there for years to come.

Lucas spoke with his wife before being taken to cells.

The judge said the mining job Lucas was seeking would still be there, but he didn't know about the guiding job.

He didn't ban Lucas from using firearms as they are necessary for his livelihood.