Image Credit: FILE PHOTO

PENTICTON - A man involved in what a Penticton judge described as a particularly egregious and degrading robbery will serve a jail term of nearly three years for his crime.

Brandon Shane Lovorato-Doran, 28, entered a guilty plea to one count of robbery in Penticton court today, Nov. 22, stemming from an incident that occurred in in late June, 2017.

Crown prosecutor Ann Lerchs told court RCMP were notified around 3:20 p.m. June 27 by Penticton Regional Hospital emergency room personnel about a man with a stab wound.

Police found the man to have received a deep laceration to his left wrist caused by a machete. The man was reluctant to speak to police, but provided a statement a day later in which he said he was robbed by three assailants.

Lerchs said the man had been walking home from a marijuana dispensary on June 26 when he noticed a vehicle following him. Recognizing one of two men and a woman in the car, he invited them into his basement suite where the group smoked and injected drugs.

Lovorato-Doran had a machete he was playing with, and after the guests began taking liberties, which included one of the men taking a shower and making a mess of the bathroom, the victim began to feel uncomfortable.

Before leaving, Lovorato-Doran asked to borrow some of the victim’s socks and shoes.

The following day the victim, believing Lovorato-Doran had taken house keys, changed the lock on the front door.

Around 10 a.m., the man the victim knew appeared at the door with Lovorato-Doran and the woman outside.

They rushed the residence, shoving the victim into the bathroom and striking him with the machete. He received a three to four inch cut on his left wrist as he raised his arms in self-defence. He was then forced to lie on the floor face down where Lovorato-Doran then kicked him and urinated on his face.

The residence was rummaged through and Lovorato-Doran took $50 and the victim’s debit card, threatening to cut his head off if he didn’t provide the proper PIN number. After the three left, the victim was able to go to a neighbours, and then to the hospital.

Lerchs said Lovorato-Doran had a significant youth offence record, but since then his record mainly consisted of breaches and drug possession charges.

She cited his previous convictions for break and enter, the level of violence, and the demeaning nature of the offences in requesting an additional 22 months on top of Lovorato-Doran’s time served of 647 days enhanced credit.

Defence lawyer Tiffany Zanatta said her client had a difficult childhood that involved being picked on and bullied. He was unemployed, homeless and addicted to heroin at the time of the offence. Since being incarcerated, Lovorato-Doran had been working to get clean. He was on the methadone program and was undergoing substance abuse counselling.

“I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been in this business a long time but the circumstances here are pretty egregious,” Judge Gregory Koturbash said, also noting the crime’s degrading nature, the violence, the weapon used and the accused’s criminal record.

Koturbash called the incident “just short of a home invasion,” but said he was bound by the joint submission presented to him by counsel.

Lovorato-Doran will serve an additional 660 days, or 22 months, in addition to 431 days unenhanced time served to date. He also faces a lifetime firearms ban and 12 months of probation upon his release.

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