Man sentenced for domestic assault with baby bottle

The violent behaviour of a man who admitted to repeatedly assaulting his girlfriend in the presence of their children in Birdtail Sioux First Nation “can’t be tolerated,” a Crown attorney said Thursday.

“Violence is never tolerated, but specifically on your partner, on someone that you share children with,” Sarah Kok said in a Brandon provincial court.

“That’s the last person that you should be turning towards in terms of violence.”

Tyler Oudie, 37, pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon involving a baby bottle for an incident in 2024, and assault and breaching conditions of a protection order from this June.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) were called to a home in Birdtail Sioux First Nation around 9:30 p.m. on May 30, 2024, for a report of a woman who had been assaulted by her boyfriend, Kok said.

The woman told police Oudie had been drinking alcohol before they got into a verbal fight.

“She said that she went to lay down in the bedroom with the baby, and that’s when Mr. Oudie threw a baby bottle at her, striking her in the face,” Kok said.

Officers said the woman had a small laceration to her mouth that was bleeding. Fortunately, she didn’t require transportation to a hospital, the Crown said.

During the fight, one of their two children present in the home tried to intervene by grabbing a baseball bat to defend his mother as Oudie kicked the woman in the chest and pulled her hair, Kok said.

The woman admitted to police that she used the baseball bat against Oudie to get him to back off.

“One of the children attempted to restrain Mr. Oudie and push him away. She advised that she was then able to leave the scene and call RCMP,” Kok said.

The Manitoba RCMP and MFNPS were both called to the residence. Oudie was last seen fleeing into a bush.

He was not located until March 5 of this year when Waywayseecappo police officers arrested and charged him in Birdtail Sioux First Nation with the help of a K9 unit.

Oudie was released on an undertaking with a condition not to contact the woman, but he breached this order the following month, Kok said.

Birdtail Sioux First Nation police officers responded to a report of a domestic assault at a residence on June 1 and could hear “yelling and banging” as they exited their vehicles outside the home, Kok said.

Officers broke through the front door and saw a woman with a large laceration on her forehead that was bleeding. The woman said she had been assaulted by Oudie.

Officers found Oudie in the home. He appeared to be intoxicated and was yelling at police, suggesting he was going to fight them, Kok said.

A nine-month-old and two-year-old were also in the home, she said.

Oudie was tased before he was arrested and charged.

“He feels terrible about his actions, having harmed the victim … and the mother of his children,” defence lawyer Philip Sieklicki said.

“He indicated to me, especially and in particular, that this happened in front of his children is something that he’s very ashamed of and devastated about.”

Sieklicki said Oudie has experienced a difficult upbringing and was raised by his mother. He witnessed domestic violence growing up and was taken into Child and Family Services several times throughout his childhood.

The lawyer provided the judge with two letters written by staff at the Brandon Correctional Centre about how Oudie has been participating in programming and volunteering in the kitchen.

He said Oudie plans to complete high school in the fall and continue managing his addictions.

Court heard Oudie has been in custody for 120 days including enhanced credit for time served.

The Crown argued he should be sentenced to 135 days for his charges and a two-year supervised probation, requiring him to participate in counselling, not possess any weapons and not contact the woman unless he’s sober and she has given consent.

Sieklicki suggested a sentence of 120 days and one year of unsupervised probation.

Judge Patrick Sullivan told Oudie he wasn’t surprised to hear that trauma he experienced in his childhood had manifested in adulthood through his unhealthy relationship with alcohol and with his partner.

“There is anecdotal evidence that children who grow up in homes where there is domestic violence are likely to become involved in relationships in their adulthood that involve domestic violence,” Sullivan said.

He said Oudie’s children won’t forget witnessing domestic violence in their home and it will inform how they see relationships for better or worse in the future.

“I can’t imagine being a child and having to get between my mom and my dad,” Sullivan said.

“The example you set for them in that moment was terrible.”

He said Oudie has an opportunity to change now that he has taken responsibility for the assaults.

Sullivan took a mix of suggestions from the Crown and defence and sentenced Oudie to 135 days with a year of supervised probation, followed by a year of unsupervised probation.

Oudie will spend 15 more days in jail.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com