Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Jun 25/01) - MLA James Arvaluk is a free man after a Nunavut court judge last dismissed a charge of assault causing bodily harm.
Justice Howard Irving called the Aug. 26 incident in Coral Harbour a drunken brawl of mutual consent. "Was this a case of domestic violence? I'm not persuaded it was," Irving said in his ruling June 20.
 James Arvaluk |
The assault followed an evening of drinking and card-playing with friends last summer. Arvaluk, who lives in Iqaluit, was in the dry community of Coral Harbour, meeting with Nanulik constituents.
The half-dressed and bloodied woman ran to a neighbour's house and called the RCMP, the court heard.
Arvaluk testified he tried preventing her from leaving the house, a move Crown prosecutor Bruce Coates argued was to protect his image, not to help his girlfriend.
Coates was away on business for Wednesday's ruling. A lawyer attending on his behalf did not know if an appeal would be launched.
The victim testified she now lives with mild, but permanent facial numbness. She and Arvaluk have since separated. She lives in Ottawa.
Irving noted the discrepancies in testimonies.
Arvaluk said his punches were made in self-defence. He told the court his former girlfriend kept "nagging" and "bugging" him about the state of their six-month relationship.
"We got into a brawl. Both of us fell to the (bedroom floor), she was biting me on the leg, which is when I started hitting her," he said.
Arvaluk left the court Wednesday without speaking to the media. Both parties admitted to drinking that night. His two twin boys, then three years old, were woken by the fighting.
Arvaluk resigned as minister of education last August because of the charge.
He still faces another assault charge, but a court date has not yet been set.
