THUNDER BAY - A Thunder Bay man who viciously attacked an 82-year-old man for “absolutely no reason” in broad daylight while he was high on drugs more than two years ago has been sentenced to four years in federal prison, court heard on Monday.
Scotland Crompton, now 21, was convicted by an Ontario Superior Court judge of aggravated assault following a trial in March for a violent unprovoked beating of an elderly man in 2018.
On Monday, Oct. 26, Judge Patrick Smith sentenced Crompton for the April 2018 assault. Court heard Crompton was 19 years old and extremely high on drugs at the time of the unprovoked attack which left the elderly victim with several injuries including two breakages to his right arm, a broken nose and bruising all over his face and body.
On April 26, 2018, court heard the 82-year-old victim was out for his usual morning walk in his residence when he stopped to observe recent work that had been completed by the city when he noticed two men approaching him, one of who was holding a yard sign that had been removed from a nearby property.
“As these individuals approached (the complainant), one of them accosted him, asking him ‘what do you think of this sign?’” Smith said in delivering his sentence on Monday.
This individual pushed the complainant who tried to run but fell, court heard and the assault continued as the elderly man remained on the ground.
Smith said the complainant lost consciousness and the assault finally ended when a car pulled up near the attack was taking place. The driver called 911 and the victim was taken to hospital where he was treated for his serious injuries.
Smith summarized a victim impact statement submitted by the complainant, now 84, who said despite the attack happening more than two years ago he still suffers from physical, mental and emotional consequences from the assault.
Court heard prior to the attack, the complainant enjoyed golf, playing music and was also a member of a band and as a result of the attack, he can no longer participate in these activities.
The attack also left the complainant with a partial disability to his arm where normally surgery would be recommended, however, due to his age he was told surgery came with enhanced risk.
In his decision, Smith also considered Crompton’s background and personal circumstances. According to a pre-sentence report, Crompton presently struggles with substance abuse issues and has a criminal record with numerous convictions of failing to comply with both release and sentencing orders and convictions for violent offences.
Court also heard of the difficult circumstances of Crompton’s upbringing including his mother’s substance abuse issues.
Defence counsel had been seeking a sentence of three years in custody at a provincial institution asking the court to consider Crompton’s relatively young age and the potential for rehabilitation. However, the Crown argued a sentence at a federal institution would support Crompton’s rehabilitation where better resources would be available to him compared to a provincial institution.
Smith sentenced Crompton to four years in a federal penitentiary. Once he’s given credit for time served in custody at an enhanced rate, he will have 959 days left to serve in federal custody.
He will also be required to submit his DNA into a national criminal DNA databank and he is prohibited from possessing weapons for a period of 10 years. The judge also recommended Crompton take advantage of substance abuse and anger management programs while in custody.
"Mr. Crompton you have an opportunity to straighten yourself out before it is too late," Smith said in his decision. "At 21 years of age, you have a lot of living ahead of you and I hope that your experience in the jail system would be an incentive to straighten your life out and get back to work."
He is also prohibited from communicating with the complainant or any members of his family for the duration of his sentence.
