(JESSICA WALLACE / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - A prison 'enforcer' was handed an intermittent sentence today for getting involved in the business of two Cranbrook gangsters.

Kyle Walsh, 24, pleaded guilty in May to one charge of assault causing bodily harm after an incident at a local provincial prison in 2010.

He avoided a lengthy prison sentence proposed by the Crown today in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops because of signs of rehabilitation.

Walsh was serving time for another assault charge when he attacked inmate Kevin Winters at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, Dec. 30, 2010. Walsh was first seen talking with Chad Munroe—shooting victim and rival of Winters—before Walsh attacked Winters from behind. Three others, including Munroe, joined in on the 20-second beating before guards broke it up.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Hope Hyslop said Munroe and Winters were on opposite sides of the drug world in Cranbrook when they were placed together at the same prison. Winters has since been convicted of aggravated assault in connection with shooting Munroe in the leg and shoulder.

Hyslop called Walsh a 'bully' for involving himself in a dispute that had nothing to do with him.

"Mr. Walsh has no relation to either of the Cranbrook gangs," she said.

After spending time in and out of jail, Walsh gained a reputation as a 'tough guy.'

"(You've) set yourself up as a prison enforcer," Hyslop added.

The majority of Walsh's offences, mainly consisting of violent and non-compliant incidents, occurred between the ages of 18 and 21. The Crown proposed to put him away for another 18 to 24 months for the assault on Winters, however the defence argued he has since been rehabilitated.

Since Walsh was released on bail in November 2011 after his parents footed the $25,000 bill, he has stayed out of trouble, abiding by court-ordered conditions.

Hyslop said Walsh's family support has been the difference in changes to his life that also include him staying away from cocaine, ecstasy and crystal meth as well as working to achieve his journeyman trade in ironworking.

Hyslop said Walsh was caught up in prison's conduct code, and she believed more jail time would do more harm than good with his progress.

"Mr. Walsh was remorseful and apologetic to his crime," she said. "Sending Mr. Walsh back to prison will have no benefit to society… in fact it might have the opposite."

Walsh was sentenced to 90 days of intermittent jail time to be served on weekends in Surrey, where he currently works. He was also handed 30 months probation and 100 hours of community service, a lifetime weapons prohibition and must provide a DNA sample to police.

To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013