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DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
A 31-year-old Deline man was sentenced to 90 days in jail for assaulting a woman on Christmas Day, just a month after he was released from custody for a previous assault.

At about 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 25, Darren Kenny was drinking and when an argument ensued between him and a woman. It escalated to the point that he pushed her against a wall. The woman got away and ran to a residence nearby, telling the man she was going to call the police, which she did.

RCMP located and charged Kenny with assault and breaching a probation order to not have contact with the woman without her consent, or if alcohol was consumed.

In court on Jan. 8, defence lawyer Serge Petitpas said Kenny entered guilty pleas for the charges only two days after the incident. The accused stood up to address the court, stating he grew up in a house where alcohol was a problem.

"I'm deeply sorry for what I did ... My friends come around and provoke me to drink. I need to move forward ... stay away from trouble," he said.

Deputy judge Brian Bruser said Kenny needs to stay away from alcohol and the friends with whom he drinks.

"You have to get the message," he said. "I'm familiar to you and you're familiar to me. I don't want to see you again."

Kenny, while sitting at the defence table in Yellowknife Territorial Court, nodded along to Bruser's words.

Bruser sentenced the offender to 90 days in jail but gave 15 days credit for time already served since his arrest, leaving him another 75 days behind bars. A two-year probation was included, meaning Kenny cannot have contact with the woman in question without her consent, and if there is her consent, only when he is sober.

"The purpose is to protect (her) and to help you get back into the community in a safe, healthy, happy way," said Bruser.

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