SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A 24-year-old was sentenced to a year in jail for a string of offences including clubbing a police officer with his prosthetic arm.

Bobby Kaotalok appeared in territorial court on Nov. 24 to enter pleas for incidents in July, August and September 2009. He pleaded guilty to six charges - assaulting a police officer, mischief, theft and three counts of breaching a court order.

Crown prosecutor Jill Andrews said police were called on July 31 to Stanton Territorial Hospital where the accused had locked himself into a bathroom stall. She said Kaotalok resisted arrest, yelled at the officers and began punching his fist into his own hand. The accused then removed his prosthetic arm and starting hitting a police officer with it.

"He swung it like a club at (the constable's) head," said Andrews.

Police arrested Kaotalok again Aug. 29 after he reportedly stole a bike from Gitzel Street, broke into a cab and was later spotted trying to open car doors on Con Road.

"They found him in possession of $50 to $60 worth of change, an iPod, the Qu'ran and various phone cards," said Andrews.

She said those items were returned to their owners.

Kaotalok was also found breaching his 11 p.m. curfew at a Sissons Court residence on Sept. 2. Then on Sept. 11 police found him passed out on the steps of a downtown business.

"He was on a bit of a crime spree in our community ... and during all this, he was on probation," said Andrews.

Defence lawyer Stephen Shabala said his client has lived at the Salvation Army since moving to Yellowknife from Cambridge Bay five-and-a-half years ago.

"It appears, your honour, Mr. Kaotalok has developed an alcohol problem," he said.

Noting the accused's lengthy criminal record, which includes 37 offences in the past four years, deputy judge Michel Bourassa said, "he's been living off the property and assets of Yellowknife residents since he moved to Yellowknife."

"Some people may say this is petty crime and maybe it is," he said. "But the damage he's causing day in and day out to the people of Yellowknife is astounding."

Bourassa added there was no indication Kaotalok's "behaviour was going to let up anytime soon."

Sitting in the prisoner's box, the accused made a wincing expression when Bourassa suggested he could spend up to 18 months in jail for the offences.

Bourassa, acting on the Crown's suggestion, sentenced Kaotalok to 12 months in jail.

Stuart Komak, who was also charged in relation to the vehicle break-ins on Aug. 29, answered to some of the charges on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property, mischief, and four counts of theft in relation to stealing from parked cars, and another incident, where he reportedly tried to steal from the tip jar at Javaroma.

Calling him Kaotalok's "partner in crime, literally" Bourassa sentenced 20-year-old Komak to 11 months in jail on Nov. 26.

"I don't see any point of putting him on probation," said Bourassa, citing numerous breaches of court orders.

Komak apologized to the court.

"I'd like to change my life around. I can't go on like this forever," he said.