There will be no jail time served following a late night attack over a cab ride.
In Estevan provincial court on Monday, Travis Stovin entered a guilty plea to assault causing bodily harm. Represented by Legal Aid, Stovin's defence counsel and the Crown prosecutor provided a joint submission to presiding Judge James Benison, suggesting a suspension of sentence and term of probation would be suitable in the matter.
The incident began when Stovin and two friends entered a cab following the close of the Beef Bar. Another individual was already in the front seat of the cab, and the driver told the three new patrons he would be taking the first man home before taking them where they needed to go.
The driver began to drive and an argument broke out between Stovin and the man in the front seat. Before long, the cab driver had heard enough, stopped the car and ordered everyone out.
Stovin and the other individual then immediately engaged in a fight. Stovin quickly got the upper hand, and Crown prosecutor Andrew Davis noted that by Stovin's friends' account, the fight turned into a "beating."
Stovin ended up sitting on the victim's chest, striking him repeatedly with closed fists. Davis said the victim experienced significant lacerations on his nose and eyebrow as well as bruises on his arms.
Stovin's friends eventually put a stop to things, intervening and removing Stovin from the victim. The victim was taken to hospital where he was treated and kept overnight. He received no further treatment following his release the next day.
The joint submission gave Benison some pause, but ultimately said the requests from the lawyers were the only thing keeping Stovin out of jail.
"I have some serious concerns about this offence," Benison told the accused. "It wasn't just a fight. If your friends hadn't intervened the victim may have been more seriously injured."
Benison told Stovin he should be considering sending him to jail, noting that the joint submission is "saving" him from a more serious punishment.
Benison did accept the joint submission, suspending sentence and placing Stovin on a 14-month probationary period. The conditions of the probation are that Stovin must submit a DNA sample, not possess weapons, not be in contact with the victim and seek any assessment, treatment or counselling for addictions issues and anger management as ordered.
