Man sent to jail for stealing swords
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2022 (1514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A man was sentenced to more than a year time served in jail on Thursday after he broke into a residence and stole two swords.
Timothy Gott, 33, pleaded guilty in December to a number of charges from early 2021.
On Jan. 11, 2021, an off-duty Brandon police officer called police to report Gott had just broken into an address on Christie Bay and was jumping through backyards in the area, according to a presentence report prepared before court.
At approximately 4:10 p.m., police found the accused with the swords near the bike path on 34th Street trying to bury them in a snowbank, the report reads.
When he saw police he turned and ran back into the alley, but was apprehended by the off-duty officers. He also had a green duffel bag full of clothes on him.
After arresting him, police found the two swords buried in the snow, according to the report.
The victim came to the scene and told police he was in his basement earlier in the day when he heard someone upstairs. At first, he thought it was his father, but when he went upstairs he saw Gott, the report reads.
Gott ran, but the victim told police he stole the two swords, along with the green bag full of clothes.
Crown attorney Andrew Sieklicki recommended a total sentence of 20 months in jail for the crimes, noting the break-in to the residence involved stealing two weapons — the swords.
Defence lawyer Michael Nerbas said Gott struggles with trauma and has been deeply affected by colonization.
“He does not feel connected to his community … this inability to understand one’s culture or feel connected was the aim of early Canadian policy towards [Indigneous people] and this is precisely what happened to Mr. Gott,” Nerbas said.
He also had a difficult childhood and had family members who attended residential schools.
Nerbas recommended a sentence of probation, arguing Gott has tried to better himself while in jail. He wants to attend addictions treatment and knows he needs help.
“There’s no violence used in commission of the offence … This was a spur-of-the-moment offence. He was high on meth at the time of the incident. There was no plan or deliberation,” Nerbas said.
Speaking to the court via video, Gott said he is sorry and apologized for his actions.
“People should feel safe in their own home,” Judge Donovan Dvorak said to Gott.
“They [should] expect that when a house door is closed and when you haven’t been invited in you’re going to respect that and not go into people’s houses.”
Dvorak said he recognizes the difficulties Gott has had in his life.
Dvorak said the time Gott has spent in jail to date is enough and sentenced him to a total of 18.5 months time served in jail. He also put him on an 18-month supervised probation order and banned him from owning firearms for 10 years.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_