Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 20/02) - Two young men have been handed down stiff jail terms after befriending and later beating and robbing a trucker outside a city pub last year.

David Brownlee, 25, and Darren Domkowsky, 21, were convicted of robbery in Supreme Court Nov. 14.

Supreme Court Justice Ted Richard sent Brownlee away for two-and-a-half years, giving him 12 months credit for pre-trial custody at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre. Domkowsky was sentenced to two years.

The two men met the victim, Rocky Kleinwachter, on Dec. 4 at the Gallery Pub. The three men became acquainted, shared a few drinks and Kleinwachter spoke with the two about giving them some work.

The victim had just arrived in Yellowknife earlier that day. A truck driver from British Columbia, it was Kleinwachter's first visit to Yellowknife.

The court heard that just after midnight on Dec. 5, Brownlee and Domkowsky followed the victim outside the bar, asking to look at his truck.

Kleinwacheter testified the two men, and a third unidentified individual, kicked him in the head, wrestled him to the ground and stole his wallet.

The victim sustained serious injuries as a result of the attack.

He testified he still suffers vision problems.

"As a result of this his nose was swollen up and bruised, he had two black eyes and other cuts and bruises on his back," said Crown counsel Scott Niblock.

The wallet was later found with credit cards intact, but the culprits got away with an estimated $850 in cash.

After hearing testimony from three crown witnesses, Brownlee's parents and a witness acting as an alibi for Brownlee, Justice Richard returned with the guilty verdicts.

In addition to the jail terms, Brownlee and Domkowsky will be placed on a 12-month probation term following their release. The have also been ordered to submit DNA samples to the RCMP.