THUNDER BAY - A man who hit his former girlfriend in the face, knocking her unconscious, will not be serving his six-month sentence at the city’s district jail.
Gilchrist Ooshag, 22, pleaded guilty in Thunder Bay provincial court earlier this week to one count of assault and one count of breaching a probation order for an incident that occurred last month.
On Friday, Justice Chantal Brochu sentenced Ooshag to a six-month conditional sentence. The first three months of his sentence will require Ooshag to be on house arrest and the remaining three months he will abide by a curfew.
Lawyers submitted a joint submission for Ooshag and requested the court consider letting him serve his sentence outside the city’s jail due to the current health crisis impacting communities across the province.
Court heard on Feb. 26, 2020, Ooshag’s girlfriend at the time texted her mother to say her boyfriend had caused her harm. The two were drinking, and Ooshag became angry and punched his partner in the face, knocking her unconscious for a period of time.
As a result, the woman suffered a swollen shut-eye as well as a bump on her head.
Although Ooshag doesn’t have a long criminal record, Brochu explains the injuries suffered by the woman were significant. He was also on probation at the time that required him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
Ooshag was also handed a five-year weapons prohibition. Part of his jail sentence conditions requires him to abstain from alcohol and drugs.
He was also ordered to submit his DNA into a national databank.
