A Prince George man was sentenced to a further four years in prison and designated a long-term offender for an "unprovoked" and "savage" attack on a 66-year old woman who was taking her dog for a walk through a local park nearly three years ago.
Keanen Drew Norman Duncan, 22, was issued the term Tuesday by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin after he pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, attempted robbery and uttering threats from the May 4, 2013 incident.
Recounting the circumstances, Devlin said the woman was walking through Lorne Park shortly after 8 p.m. when she saw Duncan at the top of a walkway looking down at her.
Duncan quickly caught up to her and as she stepped to the side of the path to let him by she told him to be careful because his shoelace was untied.
Duncan pulled out a knife and demanded money. When she told him she didn't have any money, he told her to "show me your booty."
As the woman screamed for help, Duncan grabbed her by the throat and punched her in the head until she fell to the ground on her stomach.
The considerably larger Duncan stayed on top of her and continued to punch her as she cried out.
"She grabbed his left hand which was still holding the knife because she was worried that he would stab her," Devlin said.
During the assault, Duncan groped and penetrated her with his fingers and shoved a cloth in her mouth, bit her several times on her arms and a breast and tried to choke her, Devlin continued.
A man living near the park heard her cries and ran over to help her. When he yelled at him, Duncan got up and started to walk away.
The man called 911 on his cellphone and started to follow Duncan from a distance. Duncan responded by pulling his knife out of his pocket and started to chase the man, who turned around and returned to his home. RCMP arrived shortly afterwards.
The woman suffered several cuts, bruises, abrasions, bite marks and gashes, as well as a concussion. Facial scarring, ongoing pain and nerve damage are among the long-term injuries, Devlin listed.
Three days later, Duncan was arrested.
He initially denied carrying out the attack but RCMP noticed a crescent-shaped cut on his left-ring finger from where the woman bit him and his story about what he was doing at the time was not supported by evidence from a surveillance camera.
RCMP executed a search warrant and found clothing from the woman and a bandana that turned out to be soaked in her blood.
As well, a woman who had been jogging in the area earlier in the evening identified Duncan from a photo lineup and said he made suggestive comments as she went by him.
And prior to the attack, the woman had accompanied another woman back to her home because Duncan had approached her and made her feel uncomfortable.
Duncan later admitted to alcohol and drug abuse and had attacked the woman to get some money to pay off a drug debt.
Devlin described the incident as an "unprovoked attack that was brutal and savage on a vulnerable 66-year-old woman who was merely out taking a walk. It's a very serious offence in particular due to the harm to his victim both physically and psychologically."
However, Devlin also accepted that Duncan was remorseful and has been taking steps to become a "better person and a productive member of society."
Given a chance to speak to the court prior to sentencing, Duncan said he regrets what he did and added that if he had not been arrested and put in custody, he probably would have died from an overdose or have been killed by now.
In all, Duncan was sentenced to eight years less credit of four years for time served in custody prior to sentencing.
Based on the attack and his criminal record for previous offences, Devlin also designated Duncan a long-term offender.
Consequently, he will remain under supervision for 10 years once he's completed his sentence.
