Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 28, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A man was sentenced to three months in jail for his seventh conviction of assault over the last 20 years.

Colin Evaglok pleaded guilty to assault in connection with an incident that happened Aug. 12, 2006.

According to information from court, Evaglok was drinking with the victim at the Gold Range and got into an argument.

The incident escalated later at a residence, where a witness heard the victim screaming and called the police, Crown counsel Donna Keats told the courtroom in a statement of facts March 22.

RCMP officers arrived on scene to find the victim with a black eye, bruised wrist, bloody nose and scratches on the chest.

Evaglok originally pleaded guilty, then reversed the plea to not guilty and then back to guilty again. Defence lawyer Daniel Rideout told the court that Evaglok thought he remembered at one point that he acted in self-defense but as his memory came back to him he remembered that he was the first to hit.

Rideout said Evaglok blamed the incident on his drinking and asked for a sentence of two to four years probation under the condition Evaglok abstain from alcohol and attend anger management courses, among other conditions.

Territorial Court Judge Robert Gorin said that six previous assault convictions and one firearms conviction were evidence that Evaglok hadn't learned his lesson.

In addition to three months in jail, Gorin ordered Evaglok serve two years of probation, and refused to reduce the sentence for time spent in remand.