Neighbourhood dispute leads to hefty fine for assault
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on May 27, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
A woman who was assaulted after she complained about a neighbour’s behaviour has netted her assailant a hefty fine and a criminal record.
Thomas David McIntyre, 45, was fined $1,150 after he pleaded guilty this week in Lethbridge provincial court to two charges of assault and one charge of failing to comply with release conditions.
On Oct. 20 of last year police were called to McIntyre’s residence on Lafayette Boulevard West in relation to an assault. A woman who lives directly across the street from McIntyre told police she had gone to his house to confront him about his parking and rude notes he left on her vehicle, and he became angry and attacked her.
“The accused tackled (the woman) then got on top of her, pulled her hair and punched her in the face,” described Crown Prosecutor Sheena Campbell.
The woman sustained injuries to her neck and face, and was being treated with ice packs when police arrived.
Another neighbour told police several residents had issues with McIntyre because he parked too close to their vehicles and left rude notes. She said she knew the victim had gone to speak to McIntyre, and when she heard screaming she ran to help, and McIntyre elbowed her in the jaw.
“My client was not in a good place at this time,” Lethbridge lawyer Scott Hadford told court. “He’s incredibly remorseful. He does not have a good memory of the incident.”
A month after the incident, while McIntyre was on release with conditions not to contact or communicate with the victims, police were called back to the area. The first woman who was assaulted said she was outside her house waiting for a friend and saw McIntyre staring at her through his kitchen window and blowing her kisses.
Hadford explained that although McIntyre has been working since March, he was going through a stressful time after being laid off from his job in Banff because of the COVID pandemic. At the time of the assaults he was living with his mother in her home.
In addition to his fines, McIntyre will be on probation for a year, during which he is not to have any contact with the women or be within 25 metres of their home. He must also take counselling for psychological issues and anger management.
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Do not advocate for violence of any kind but if the roles were reversed and she was the one that knocked him silly the sentence would not be much more than a slap on the hand for her. Statistics bare that out in our so-called modern equal society.