A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for attacking his common-law partner in a liquor and steroid-induced rage.
Christopher Rutherford, 33, had been charged with attempted murder but on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, as well as breaching both his curfew and no-contact orders.
Court has been told that Rutherford and Shaylene Blomme, 23, had gone to a nightclub to celebrate on New Year's Day in 2016.
The Crown says Rutherford was intoxicated when he took the keys to Blomme's vehicle, forced her into the passenger seat, hit her twice in the face and crashed the vehicle into a semi-trailer.
The defence says Rutherford had been on steroids and has accepted responsibility and been involved with anger management and addictions programs, as well as peer tutoring other inmates with the John Howard Society.
Blomme calls the sentence disappointing, noting that with time served, Rutherford can be released in just over two years.
"It feels like what could have been my whole life has amounted to two-and-half of his, or three-and-a-half in total, but it seems minimal for what I could have lost based on his actions," Blomme said outside court.
She said the incident was terrifying and has had a lasting impact on her.
"If someone is driving even too quickly, I freeze up, I have anxiety attacks and I suffer from PTSD," she said.
However, she said she is relieved to have the court process over, saying she hopes to renew a no-contact order after Rutherford's release.
(CTV Winnipeg)
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