Man sentenced for ‘vicious’ assault on inmate with coffee mug

A man who viciously assaulted a fellow inmate with a coffee mug and months later assaulted a correctional officer was handed a prison sentence of almost five years in Brandon provincial court on Thursday.

“We need to condemn seriously any behaviour where inmates are attacked by other inmates,” Judge John Combs said.

“The assault itself is vicious,” the judge added. “(It) strikes me as something that could have very well resulted in much more serious consequences.”

Errol Leask, 28, previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, assault on a peace officer and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The Crown recommended a total sentence in the range of 57 to 60 months, while defence argued for a sentence of 48 months.

Both assaults were captured on video and played in court.

On March 21, 2025, Leask attacked his cellmate at Brandon Correctional Centre (BCC) by repeatedly smashing a coffee mug against his head.

Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup said the attack was “completely unprovoked,” as the victim appeared to be sleeping in his bed. Leask gave multiple variations of what motivated him to attack the man, the Crown said.

First, he suggested the victim had killed someone and that he was “dirty and unsanitary,” Lonstrup said. Later, he said he suggested he did it in self-defence because he was afraid of being harmed.

“Quick answer is we just don’t know,” Lonstrup said.

The assault left the victim with “severe facial fractures,” sending him to the hospital for three days before he was released and had to return for another seven days for pain control and monitoring.

A CT scan revealed an epidural hematoma — when blood gathers between the skull and the outer brain membrane, putting pressure on the brain.

“In this case, you have not only a maimed victim, but also someone whose life was in danger,” Lonstrup said.

Leask was assessed as a high risk to reoffend and has shown no real insight or empathy, aside from his guilty pleas, Lonstrup said.

The second assault, which was on a correctional officer, happened on July 24, 2025.

Leask was coming back into the jail from outdoor time when the correctional officer asked Leask to take off his socks, as he had a history of bringing items, like rocks, into the building, court heard.

“That’s the moment when (the correctional officer) is punched in the face and tackled and effectively held down and put in what appears to be a headlock or chokehold that requires numerous correctional officers to disengage,” Lonstrup said.

While Leask didn’t cause any specific injuries to the officer, Lonstrup said it’s still an “extremely serious” assault and highlighted the dangers correctional officers face in their line of duty.

“Correctional officers right now are showing a high degree of burnout … Incidents like this, even if they don’t cause serious injury, have an impact,” he said.

“Correctional officers have to keep an institution safe … Often, they are going to have to tell people like Mr. Leask, ‘Sorry, I need you to take your socks off. I want to make sure you didn’t bring anything inside.’”

Defence lawyer Jennifer Janssens said several factors support a lower sentence than the Crown’s recommendation, including Leask’s guilty pleas, his Gladue factors and the circumstances surrounding the offences.

She said Leask has been exposed to violence since he was a child and spent most of his adult life institutionalized.

Leask has received “significant punishment already,” Janssens said, as he is now in segregation and only allowed out of his cell for 30 minutes a day.

“The conditions in the institution can contribute to a dangerous environment for all inmates and all correctional officers,” Janssens said, specifically pointing out the “alarmingly small cell” Leask and his cellmate shared.

She said inmates often live in survival mode, and that’s been the case for Leask.

Leask had been in custody for around a month when the first assault took place and may have been experiencing some methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms, she said.

Both Leask’s maternal and paternal grandparents, along with his parents, attended residential school. Janssens said physical violence has become intergenerational in Leask’s family and was used as discipline in his home.

Combs echoed Janssens’ concerns regarding the conditions in correctional facilities.

“As a society, we put people into jail cells, and then we perhaps don’t do as much as we should to protect them — and that may be a tall task, but it’s one that’s real, and people in jail are particularly susceptible to being assaulted,” he said.

However, he said the court needs to do its part in protecting people in jail by “conveying a message that violence within a jail setting is something we need to treat seriously and there needs to be significant punishment.”

Combs sentenced Leask to a total of 57 months in prison, minus the equivalent of roughly 19 months he has already spent in custody.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com