Yellowknife (May 05/06) - A man will spend three months in jail after skipping the last few days of an intermittent sentence.

Christopher Gargan had completed almost all of his time on a 60-day driving while disqualified sentence - which a judge allowed him to serve on weekends - when he didn't show up at the North Slave Correctional Centre April 22.

Gargan, who has 27 convictions on his record, admitted to the oversight Tuesday and was sentenced to three months in jail.

"Mr. Gargan is beside himself with incredulity," said his lawyer, Patrice Taylor.

"He served all of those weekends, up until the very last, when he had the most to lose."

Sex assault suspect on the loose

Police are searching for a sexual assault suspect after the man skipped a court appearance Tuesday morning.Kamal Osman Mohammed was scheduled to appear in a Yellowknife courtroom to set a date for his preliminary hearing on a single sex-assault charge, which dates to July 2005.

Judge Robert Gorin issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear.

Beating girlfriend 'tough love'

A man who twice beat up his on-again-off-again girlfriend was sentenced to seven months behind bars for what he called "tough love."

"My life has been a nightmare," said the man, who had 32 previous convictions, including 11 for violent crimes.

Most of his record stems from an addiction to alcohol, he said Tuesday in territorial court.

The man admitted to beating the woman - with whom he had a "relationship of sorts," according to Crown attorney Mike Himmelman - on Jan. 22 and April 16.

Both of the beatings were broken up by the woman's teenaged son.

"It was tough love," the man told the court. After the comments, his lawyer pulled him aside and whispered in his ear.

The man's next statement was an apology to the court and his victim.

Gorin sentenced the man to three months in jail for each assault and one month for violating a no-contact order with the victim.

"I find the facts to be disturbing," Gorin said.