Man sentenced for forcibly preventing woman from leaving his home

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on February 18, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

Shelby Ty Bastien has little memory of an incident at his home on June 15, 2021, when he forcibly prevented a frightened female friend from leaving his home.

“He was grossly intoxicated at the time,” Lethbridge lawyer Vincent Guinan said Friday in Lethbridge provincial court, where Bastien pleaded guilty to one count of forcible confinement.

Bastien, who initially had been charged with sexual assault, invited the woman to his home, and they were sitting around a fire when the woman went into the house to use the washroom. When she stepped out of the washroom, Bastien prevented her from leaving and wanted her to stay inside the house with him.

“He was strongly desirous that the two of them remain inside the residence while they continued to socialize,” Crown prosecutor Clayton Giles said. “She did not want to do that and wanted to leave. He kept her there for approximately half an hour, despite the fact she made it very clear that she wanted to leave.”

Giles said the woman even dialled 911 and hid the phone under some towels in an effort to get help, but she was eventually allowed to leave without the “intervention” of police.

Guinan said that even though Bastien does not recall details of the incident, he accepts the allegations against him.

“Being kept in someone’s home, especially when there is a gender divide between the two, can be very disconcerting and very frightening,” Giles added.

Bastien was handed a 12-month conditional sentence, the first six months of which he will be under house arrest, with only a few exceptions, including an exception for work. During the remaining six months he must adhere to a curfew from 9 p.m to 6 a.m. every day.

He must reside at his father’s rural home on the Piikani Nation, and not have any contact with the woman or go near her residence. He must also provide a sample of his DNA for the National DNA Data Bank, and he is prohibited from consuming alcohol and drugs and from possessing any weapons.

Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter