A Prince George man was sentenced Thursday to a further two years in jail followed by two years probation for attacking three people outside a downtown nightspot.
Provincial court judge Carmen Rogers issued the term to Jason Dennis Townsend, 37, for the Dec. 6, 2013 incident outside Alibis in the National Hotel on First Avenue at Dominion Street.
Evidence from two video cameras showed a highly-intoxicated Townsend leaving the club just before 1:20 a.m. and immediately encroaching on the personal space of a woman who responded by pushing him away from her.
Townsend stepped back but the woman then threw two punches and although it could not be seen clearly in the video, one of the blows landed and broke off part of one of his teeth, the court had heard.
After conversing with two other people nearby, apparently confirming his tooth had been broken, Townsend approached the woman and knocked a cigarette out of her mouth.
A man who had been standing beside her stepped in, telling Townsend "in less than polite language" to leave. Townsend responded by punching the man in the head with enough force to knock him to the ground and then kicked him in the head although it was unclear if he connected directly or the man was able to ward off the kicks with his hands.
The woman tried to strike Townsend again and then a second man stepped in to try unsuccessfully to separate the two. Townsend threw another punch that knocked the woman to the ground and then kicked her friend, who was still on the ground, in the midsection.
When the second man attempted to stop Townsend by grabbing his arm from the back, Townsend punched him in the head and knocked him to the ground.
Townsend, who fell on top of him, got back to his feet and "forcefully and deliberately" stomped on the intervenor's head before leaving the scene. The man was in convulsions and apparently unconscious while lying in the middle of the street in front of a running car.
The woman suffered a cut to her mouth and mild concussion symptoms, her friend lost a front tooth and suffered a concussion, and the intervenor had two broken teeth, a fractured nose and cheek bone and concussive symptoms.
"Although the injuries sustained by the victims were significant, luckily they were not as serious as they might have been given Mr. Townsend's actions," Rogers said and later noted Townsend has been trained as a boxer and has experience in mixed martial arts.
Townsend was arrested three days later in Dease Lake and has been in custody ever since, adding up to 235 days. Based on one-and-half days credit for each day served prior to sentencing, he received credit for 353 days.
Townsend pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing bodily harm early in the process. The attacks were not pre-planned and he has been remorseful and willing to compensate the victims for their losses, Rogers noted.
However, she also noted Townsend's criminal record includes previous convictions for violent offences, the assaults on the friend and the intervenor were unexpected and he stomped on the intervenor's head as he lay motionless.
Conditions of his probation include apologizing to the three through his probation officer and staying away from premises where alcohol is sold.
