(JESSICA WALLACE / iNFOnews.ca)

MAN SENTENCED TO YEAR IN JAIL FOR BREAKING NOSE, ORBITAL SOCKET OF BYSTANDER

A 24-year-old man was handed one year in jail after assaulting an innocent bystander while trying to rob a Kamloops bank last year.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Dev Dley hesitated at accepting a joint submission by Crown prosecutor Chris Balison and defence lawyer Jeremy Jensen.

"The circumstances of the offence are extremely disturbing with regards to public safety," Dley said.  "This was an unprovoked attack, vicious attack, leaving the victim with significant and long-standing symptoms."

"The proposed jail sentence is at the low end—extremely low end."

Bradley Hartling was sentenced for multiple charges including robbery and aggravated assault today in Kamloops Supreme Court after attacking Patrick Keetch at a Toronto Dominion Bank in Kamloops in November 2012.

Hartling was under the influence of crack cocaine and trying to defraud an ATM with the use of an empty envelope when Keetch was beaten.

Balison said the attack was unprovoked by the Keetch and that they didn't know each other.

"He required surgery at Royal Inland Hospital for his facial injuries," Balison said.

Balison said when police arrived on scene, Keetch's face was swollen and he was barely understandable. Balison said a victim impact statement reported that his nose and orbital socket were broken.

While Hartling hadn't seen the inside of a B.C. courtroom before these charges, his youth record and warrants in Ontario are lengthy and related to incidents including assault, theft and breach of recognizance.

Jensen told the court that Hartling had a rough upbringing with drugs and alcohol and violence was a regular occurrence in his home growing up. Jensen said Hartling's guilty pleas were a result of his remorse and that he wishes to seek treatment for his 'triggers.'

"I'm ashamed of what I did that day," Hartling said.

Dley noted Hartling's nickname—'Mass Consumption'—relating to binge habits and said Hartling has never had professional help for addiction. He said Hartling's integration into the community depends on his ability to deal with those substance abuse issues. He also noted Hartling's 'genuine' remorse.

"I'm going to go along with, although somewhat reluctantly, the joint submission," Dley said. "Normally an offence of this type… the consequences would result in a lengthy jail sentence."

Hartling faces three new months of jail after the nine months he has already served since taken into incarceration directly following the event. He will serve one year probation and is expected to complete anger management and drug and alcohol counselling.

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

News from © iNFOnews, 2013