‘Constant state of crisis’
Bryce Edwin Thompson gets time served for multiple offences, including incident in Cornwall involving police responding with weapons drawn
A P.E.I. man who was involved in an incident that included the police surrounding a Cornwall house with weapons drawn was sentenced Friday to 90 days in jail.
Bryce Edwin Thompson, 18, appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown where he was sentenced on multiple charges.
Those charges included assault, damaging property and possessing a butcher knife for a purpose dangerous to the public peace.
Thompson pleaded guilty to all the charges and after Douglas gave him credit for time already served he was released Friday.
The court heard Thompson’s involvement with police started after he assaulted a woman in July by punching her in the arm several times and later punching her in the face.
During another incident involving the same victim, a witness reported seeing Thompson choking her to the point the victim was gasping for air.
Thompson also sent the woman text messages threatening to destroy her property.
In October, Thompson’s parents called police after he kicked in a screen door and broke a window when they wouldn’t let him in.
Later that month, his parents called the police after Thompson threatened his father with a butcher knife.
The court heard his family left the house and the police had to enter the home because Thompson was playing video games and didn’t respond when they arrived.
Crown attorney Lisa Goulden said Thompson spent the bulk of the summer in a “constant state of crisis.”
Thompson has since been prescribed lithium to treat a mood and personality disorder.
The court heard he had been taking illegal drugs including LSD, speed, ecstasy and marijuana.
Defence lawyer Thane MacEachern said Thompson spent time in hospital for depression in 2016, spent time living in a group home and was an involuntary hospital patient in March for mental health issues.
MacEachern said it wasn’t just drug use, but also underlying mental health issues that led to the offences.
Thompson, who spent 57 days in custody since his arrest, stood to address the court before hearing his sentence.
“This experience has changed my life drastically,” he said.
Standing at the defence table, Thompson said he has been clean of drugs for two months and took the time in jail as a wake-up call.
Thompson will be on probation for 15 months with several conditions, including that he will have to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet if his probation officer directs it.
He must provide a DNA sample for the national databank and will be under a weapons prohibition for three years.