P.E.I. man sentenced to 9 months for attacking two teenage girls
CBC
A 26-year-old Emyvale man has been sentenced to nine months in jail for attacking two teenage girls in front of the Walmart store in Charlottetown.
Chief Justice Tracey Clements sentenced Bennet Thomas Mix in Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The court heard Mix, who pleaded guilty to robbery with violence after he mugged the two teenage girls in broad daylight last April, was high on drugs.
Security camera footage showed a man jumping the girls from behind while they were walking on the sidewalk in front of the building. During the tussle, one of the girls fell. The other fled.
Bystanders later came to help the girls, including two people who confronted the attacker. Mix then fled.
During her sentencing, Clements said Mix has taken significant steps to deal with his addiction issues and she believes his prospects for rehabilitation are strong.
"I do hope defence counsel is correct, that Mr. Mix is in 'a new chapter in his life' and that he is a very different person than the person who committed the offence in April 2021," said Clements.
"This is a robbery offence, a terrifying event for these young victims. The psychology and emotional impact on them is real. Their fears are real including their expressed fears of sexual violence."
Mix was given credit for time served, 139 days, which means most of his nine month sentence has already been served. Clements also ordered restitution to the victims: $100 plus a $200 victims surcharge.
Mix must also write a letter of apology to the two victims, aged 14 and 13, if the victims are open to receiving the letter and otherwise abstain from contacting them.
He must take part in programs to deal with his alcohol and drug addictions, perform 50 hours of community service and remain on probation for two years.
The victims and their families were not in court on Wednesday. But the girls submitted impact statements saying they feared they would be kidnapped or raped.
The Crown was calling for a sentence of 18 months but Mix's defence lawyer asked for six months in jail.
Mix told the court he's been off drugs and in treatment since he was arrested. He also apologized to the victims and asked for their forgiveness.
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