Brazen baseball bat attack lands Kelowna man 601 days more in prison

For brazenly taking a shot bat to a man’s caput successful an Econo Lodge Inn parking lot, a well-known Kelowna, B.C., criminal will walk different 601 days successful prison.

On Aug. 14, 2021, George Young, 43, assaulted Tyler Takeda pinch a shot bat successful a Kelowna edifice parking batch while collecting connected a supplier debt. The onslaught was successful beforehand of edifice guests, who appeared from CCTV footage to beryllium “startled and upset” earlier calling 911.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Gomery sentenced nan semipermanent offender past period to 5.5 years successful situation for aggravated assault, little 1,407 days for clip served, frankincense nan truncated sentence. He will besides beryllium nether supervision for nan decade that follows and has been deemed a semipermanent offender.

“In this case, Mr. Young’s lengthy criminal grounds for crimes of unit constitutes a powerful aggravating factor,” Gomery said successful sentencing.

“His grounds dates backmost to 1997 erstwhile he was convicted of battle pinch a limb arsenic a young offender. It includes offences resulting successful penitentiary sentences successful 2000, 2003, and 2011; a 2018 condemnation for robbing a alien astatine a slope machine; and a 2019 condemnation for an battle causing bodily harm to a girlfriend.”

This high-profile battle followed different incident from New Year’s Day 2010, erstwhile Young was accused of moving complete and dragging a man named Joel Reimer to his death. For that, he was convicted of criminal negligence causing decease and failing to stay astatine nan scene.

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In this astir caller case, however, Gomery said an aggravating facet is that nan crime was committed successful wide daylight, “in nan beingness of members of nan nationalist successful circumstances apt to daze their comfortableness and consciousness of information successful nan community.”

Working successful Young’s favour, Gomery said he made bully usage of his astir caller play of incarceration astatine nan Okanagan Correctional Centre while awaiting proceedings and sentencing for this offence.

“He has mostly stayed retired of trouble, functioned arsenic a adjacent mentor, and obtained certificates of accomplishment reflecting his completion of courses addressing employability skills, patient relationships, unfortunate awareness, anger management, surviving pinch symptom and loss, relapse prevention, constituent abuse, and surviving without violence,” Gomery said.

Gomery besides took into relationship that Young had a less-than-ideal upbringing marred by poverty, beingness maltreatment and constituent abuse.

“It is adjacent to opportunity that Mr. Young’s family inheritance and family history echo those of galore Indigenous accused persons and offenders who find themselves successful court,” Gomery said. “Abuse, a surgery home, and ineffective societal supports, together pinch his acquisition successful nan criminal justness strategy person contributed to making him an alcoholic, an addict, and a prolific offender.”