Prison sentence issued to man who bragged about beating up ex-girlfriend

A man who savagely beat up his ex-girlfriend and then bragged about it on social media was sentenced Thursday to a further 4 1/2 years in prison.

"This is a cowardly and unprovoked attack on a vulnerable former partner," Prince George provincial court judge Susan Mengering said in issuing her decision for Tristan Pierre Heiney, 22.

Heiney had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, unlawful confinement and breach of probation for the Oct. 30, 2016 incident in a Prince George motel room.

At the time, Heiney had been out of jail for six days and on probation for previously assaulting the same woman, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban. He was also subject to a peace bond prohibiting contact with her.

She had been dropped off at the Greyhound bus station for a trip to Alberta but instead went with Heiney to a cold beer and wine store and then off to the motel where they watched a movie and listened to music on her phone.

When she went to the washroom, Heiney checked her phone then began yelling at her about who she had been messaging with. Mengering outlined a disturbing account of what happened next - a prolonged series of attacks involving kicks, punches, hair pulling and, at one point, choking, that has left her with ongoing injuries. 

When she begged him to stop at one point, Heiney told her there is a difference between "abuse and discipline." He also used her mascara to write three slurs on her back and rubbed a hamburger into her face.

Heiney left the room the next morning after ripping the phone out of the wall. A couple hours later, a maid found the woman barely moving on the bed.

By that point, a missing person bulletin had been issued to police. Heiney became a suspect when a relative of the woman discovered a posting on Facebook in which he said he had taught her a lesson.

"She knew I'd find out if she cheated," he continued. "One thing you don't do is double cross me. I'm not someone's second choice."

In a subsequent posting, he wrote "ha, ha, ha, hope she ain't dead," then added he was joking and missed her.

Heiney was eventually tracked down to a relative's home where he was found lying down in a bedroom. By that time, he had told at least two people the woman had cheated on him.

The woman was left with extensive and disfiguring injuries from which she continues to suffer pain and numbness. A broken jaw needed a plate and screws to repair and she was found with bruises and swelling from head to toe, a concussion and bruising on her brain and lost teeth. 

Perhaps most significantly, the woman suffered a blowout fracture to an eye socket that may have permanently damaged her eyesight. She continues to have double vision when she moves in any direction other than forward.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she suffers nightmares and flashbacks about the incident and is terrified Heiney will come after her once he's out of jail.

Her mother also provided a victim impact statement in which she noted Heiney and his family have been sending letters to her family against their wishes. Mengering read out one Heiney sent to the woman from Prince George Regional Correctional Centre where he has remained since he was arrested. 

In it, Heiney blamed the victim, saying the incident would not have occurred if the woman had not cheated on him and had her family stayed with her at the bus station. He also said he was going to give her a ring and necklace upon her return from Alberta and was still planning to marry her. But he also said he had a hard time looking in the mirror because he was so disgusted with what he had become.

Mengering also made note of Heiney's poor behaviour while in custody, an apparent unwillingness to give up drugs and alcohol and attend counseling and an extensive criminal record that has included two prior convictions for violence against the woman.

Even though it appeared he was unaware of Heiney's previous violence-related convictions, a psychologist concluded he posed a high risk to re-offend. Heiney has shown little insight, Mengering concluded, noting he only talked about the impact on the victim when asked specifically asked to do so.

Defence counsel had been seeking a sentence of time served, arguing Heiney is taking steps to turn his life around, but Mengering saw little if any evidence of that from the testimony family members provided on his behalf. Crown counsel was seeking four to six years less credit for time served. Mengering decided on six years less credit of 530 days.