Second brother sentenced for assault on inmate

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A man who pleaded guilty to attacking a fellow inmate in a jailhouse assault last year that he committed with his older brother has been sentenced to one-and-a-half years behind bars.

Samuel Flatfoot, 26, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in provincial court on Thursday. The assault occurred in Brandon Correctional Centre, where both Samuel and his brother, Jericho, 27, were serving jail sentences.

The Crown and defence agreed on the 18-month sentence.

Crown attorney Andrew Sieklicki read the evidence of the case to the court.

On Nov. 14, 2023, the Brandon Police Service was contacted by an employee of the Brandon Correctional Centre, who reported that an inmate had been assaulted.

Police were advised that the victim was in the Brandon Regional Health Centre with severe injuries.

Officers obtained video footage of the unit in the jail where the assault occurred from the correctional staff, and Sieklicki read the police description of the video footage to the court.

The video began with the victim standing in a kitchen area with his back turned to the inmates in the dorms around 7:50 p.m.

Without apparent provocation, Samuel came up behind the victim and blindsided him by throwing a punch with his right fist to the victim’s head.

As he continued punching the victim, his brother, Jericho, joined the assault by running in to assist him.

At that point, the victim was knocked to the ground and Samuel kicked and stomped on the victim’s head about eight times. Jericho also punched the man about 17 times.

The Crown attorney said the video showed Samuel walking away from the victim, who was left on the floor with blood pooling around him.

As a result of the assault, the man suffered a broken arm, broken nose, fractured orbital bone and bruising and swelling to his face and eyes. He also received numerous stitches to his upper and lower lips.

Sieklicki said that while the Crown’s case did have the benefit of the incident being caught on video surveillance, the victim was not co-operative with prosecutors and did not give a statement to police.

“I think deterrence and denunciation is necessary,” he said. “We need to prevent this behaviour.”

The Crown also noted Samuel’s criminal record, which contains numerous violent offences.

Samuel’s lawyer, Andrew Synyshyn, told the court that the matters that Samuel was in jail for have been resolved, unlike his brother, who was serving a five-year sentence for offences in Dauphin when he pleaded guilty to the jailhouse assault.

“Obviously he needs to reflect on the fact that he would have been out but for this offence,” the defence lawyer said of his client.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said the violence on his criminal record and an assault in a jail setting made the offence more serious. She also noted that the sentence needed to be in line with the sentence that Samuel’s brother received.

After receiving credit for time served, Samuel will spend just under three months more in custody. He was also sentenced to a term of probation.

Jericho Flatfoot pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and two counts of assault last week.

He received a one-year sentence.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

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