An involuntary psychiatric patient at a Kamloops facility who twice sexually assaulted a worker and then body-checked a fellow patient has been ordered to spend nearly three months in prison.
Once given credit for the time he’s already spent behind bars, Cyrus Fines’ sentence works out to one of time served. The young Kelowna man pleaded guilty in Kamloops provincial court on Thursday to two counts each of sexual assault and assault.
Court heard Fines, 19, was transferred to a Kamloops facility last spring after he proved difficult to supervise at Kelowna General Hospital. He was committed after “displaying sexual disinhibition in the community” in Kelowna, Crown prosecutor Tim Livingston said in court.
On May 17, Fines repeatedly groped a staffer who was performing a medical test on him, even after being told a number of times to stop. He grabbed the same worker from behind two days later, wrapping his arm around her waist.
On May 26, Fines attacked a female patient at the facility. Livingston said the woman was watching TV in a common area when Fines entered the room and began running in circles, as if he was “doing laps.”
Livingston said the woman got up to leave and Fines attacked.
“He sprinted across the room, lowered his shoulder and essentially body-checked her,” he said, noting surveillance video shows the woman sent flying into a wall.
The woman suffered a mild hip injury as a result of the hit.
Fines also pleaded guilty to a second assault charge stemming from an interaction he had with a nurse at the facility on June 7. In that instance, court heard he refused to leave the nurse’s physical space and touched her.
Livingston said Fines was arrested while still a patient of the facility and transferred to Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam for an assessment. Following the assessment, court heard, he told doctors he was “faking” his symptoms. He was then transferred to Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, where he remained until Thursday’s sentencing.
Fines had no prior criminal record. He said he’s learned his lesson.
“My life has changed a lot,” he said.
“Trying to make sexual advances without asking for consent, I wouldn’t do that again. This sort of thing will never happen again.”
Fines spent 57 days in jail, giving him time-and-a-half credit for 86 days.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Lorianna Bennett went along with a joint submission for a time-served sentence.
In addition, Fines was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and submit a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database. He will also spend one year on probation.
