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Penticton News

Judge says domestic abuser fighting 'losing battle'

Neil Allison Ryerson has a long list of domestic assault charges.
Image Credit: Crimestoppers

PENTICTON — A provincial court judge says there’s no hope ordering mandatory counselling for a serial domestic offender since he's been doing it for 15 years.

Neil Allison Ryerson, born in 1968, was sentenced today in Penticton Provincial Court to six months in jail for beating up his now ex-girlfriend.

Ryerson has an extensive criminal file and the majority of his charges are for domestic abuse.

Since his first recorded offence in 2000, Ryerson has committed 10 domestic assaults and numerous probation breaches.

“It seems to be a rotating door of breaches,” Koturbash said. “It’s a losing battle.”

Ryerson’s ex-girlfriend said he has beat her in the past but this was the first time she reported abuse to the police. The two, now split, were dating on-and-off for eight years. Crown counsellor Catherine Crockett did not know who all the complainants were in the earlier cases.

Ryerson, appearing on video from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, admitted to having a drinking problem. He asked the judge not to add a no-alcohol clause to his probation terms, because it would be setting him up to breach. Koturbash acknowledged the request and didn’t add the clause.

Ryerson said he often drank as a way of dealing with his girlfriend’s drinking and drug problem.

“I have no intentions of contacting her,” he said. “At all.”

He said he’s been taking counselling programs offered through jail to deal with anger management and excessive drinking.

“If he gets in another relationship and acts like this, he’s going to be lucky to get anything under two years,” said Robert Maxwell, defense counsel. 

To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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