BOYLE – A local man who assaulted his parents while out on bail ended up with a month-long jail stay, despite reservations from the judge about the length of the sentence.
In the Boyle Court of Justice Nov. 12, Kevin James Kniivila pleaded guilty to assault and failing to comply with a release order as part of a joint submission between defence counsel Silas Ihiehie and Crown prosecutor James Wegener. Additional charges for assault and mischief damage under $5,000 were withdrawn as part of the plea.
“In circumstances such as this, the Appellate court has directed I’m not to depart from a joint sentence,” said Justice William H. Hendsbee, who accepted the plea deal. “This may not have been the sentence I would have imposed had it been left to me under these circumstances.”
Kniivila was out on bail on July 20, when the Boyle RCMP received a phone call around 12:30 a.m. from his parents, who said he was assaulting them at their rural residence. His mom could be heard yelling over the phone that he was going to kill her, and his father told the operator his son had hit him.
By the time the RCMP got there, the younger Kniivila had left, but his parents said his visit had turned violent after an argument broke out. He started to swing at his father, hitting him in the head, and his mother had bruises and scratches on her arm.
At the time, Kniivila didn’t have permission from his bail supervisor to be out of his residence after his curfew.
While the plea was a joint submission, Ihiehie and Wegener disagreed on components of the deal, including whether or not Kniivila should get credit for an “early” plea or not. Kniivila was set to go to trial later that day, and the Crown’s witnesses had already attended court.
“He has done some courses while in custody to improve, and he has tried to work on his anger issues,” said Ihiehie. “His wife and friends are here to support him while he goes on this new journey.”
Kniivila spent 20 days in pre-trial custody, meaning his 30 days were deemed time served by the justice when applied at a one-and-a-half to one rate.
