Bobbitt exiting the Penticton Courthouse.
Image Credit: Global News
September 02, 2014 - 11:11 AM
PENTICTON - The dangerous offender hearing and sentencing of a Penticton man charged with sexual assault, aggravated assault and unlawful confinement, will reconvene in Penticton Supreme Court today after a two-month break.
David Wesley Bobbitt last appeared in court the week of June 23 for the start of his dangerous offender hearing and sentencing for an incident in 2012 when he allegedly confined a young woman and her toddler in his second-hand store on Ellis Street. Bobbitt pleaded guilty to seven charges including sexual assault, aggravated assault and unlawful confinement, in April 2013.
Crown prosecutors Debra Drissell and Nashina Devji will call more witnesses in relation to the 2012 case in the coming weeks. The first part of the trial focused on a 2007 sexual assault case of an ex-girlfriend of Bobbitt’s.
Charges were never laid from the 2007 assault but witness and victim testimonies will be used as evidence towards Justice Peter Rogers’ decision whether Bobbitt is a dangerous offender. A dangerous offender is considered to be an extreme threat to the public based on a longstanding history of violence.
Clinical forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe, who testified as an expert witness, said Bobbitt is a clinical psychopath. He told the court he scored Bobbitt at 89 per cent on a psychopathy test—a score of 62 per cent is considered a high score by some testing models. After extensive testing and questioning, he said Bobbitt showed uncommon violent behaviour even as a child.
Bobbitt is currently in custody at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre. He will be present at in Supreme Court when the trial reconvenes at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
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.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014