THUNDER BAY - A man with a violent criminal history including a 2000 manslaughter conviction from Ottawa recently pleaded guilty to four charges in Thunder Bay court on Monday.
Matthew Land, 37, appeared by audio from the Thunder Bay District Jail to plead guilty to two counts of assault, mischief under $5,000 and breach of recognizance in Thunder Bay provincial court.
Court heard police were called to a residence in the city on Feb. 9. Police spoke to a woman who advised them she had been thrown out of her apartment by her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Land.
During this encounter, police observed several bruises all over the woman’s body. The woman gave a statement to police which explained Land had been doing cocaine in the apartment and started “acting crazy” by accusing her of cheating, Crown counsel Afton Brown said by audio on Monday.
The woman said she was punched multiple times in the face and body by Land.
It was also determined Land was under a court order to be living at a halfway home in Ottawa and was clearly not complying with that requirement.
In March, police were called again to a domestic dispute call involving Land and his ex-girlfriend. The same complainant told police she had been hit by her ex-boyfriend and that he was still present in her apartment. There were two holes in the drywall created by Land and bruising on the complainant’s cheeks and arms.
She told police she attributed Land’s lashing out to his drug addiction.
Brown said the complainant still remains fearful of Land who she had been with for more than a decade and that their relationship began to fall-off when Land began using fentanyl and heroin.
Defence counsel Gilbert Labine told the court his client has mental health issues related to depression, anxiety and ADHD. Land and his former girlfriend have two children together and they are currently under the care of their grandparents.
When he was arrested for these offences, Land was supposed to be in Ottawa but came to Thunder Bay to visit his spouse, Labine said. He has already served 27 real days in pre-sentence custody at the local district jail.
Land has a lengthy criminal past including nine violent convictions, three of which involve the same complainant, Crown said.
Land was convicted of manslaughter in 2000 for the killing of Mario Garcia. Land was 17 years of age at the time but was tried as an adult after his lawyer at the time was unsuccessful in keeping his case in youth court, according to a 2019 report by the Ottawa Citizen.
Defence and Crown counsel submitted a joint submission for Land of seven months to be followed by a 12-month probation order. He will also be required to attend counselling and programs for substance abuse and mental health.
Justice Chantal Brochu also ordered a 10-year weapons prohibition for Land.
When asked to speak, Land apologized to his victim and acknowledged he intends to address his addiction to narcotics.
Going forward, Land has 170 days left on his sentence to serve at the local jail.
