Assault on police officer results in jail time

Denna Marie Gallant sentenced

A young P.E.I. woman was sentenced to 45 days in jail for punching an RCMP officer in the face. Denna Marie Gallant, 22, will serve the jail time on consecutive weekends starting Aug. 10. Gallant will be on probation for 18 months and must perform 50 hours of community service work. She was also assessed a $100 victim of crime surcharge and ordered to write a letter of apology to RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler, the high-profile P.E.I. officer who Gallant assaulted. Butler is head of the Queens District and acted as the RCMP’s spokesman on the Island for a number of years. The assault occurred on April 11 when Gallant attempted to visit her one-year-old son at the home of the child’s father. When Gallant, who was described in court as having a volatile relationship with the boy’s father, started hammering on the door of her estranged partner’s home, police were called. Court heard police tried to defuse the situation, but Gallant punched Butler in the nose. Gallant then said Butler got what she deserved and added she wished that she had hit the officer harder. Butler was not injured. Chief provincial court judge Nancy Orr said it would be fair to observe the violent action was not out of character for Gallant. “She describes herself as having a violent temper,’’ noted Orr. Gallant was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she committed the assault. Orr said peace officers can be thrust into dangerous situations, adding they never know what they may encounter when responding to a domestic dispute. “They put their lives on the line any time they answer a call of that nature,’’ says Orr. “They do not need to be … punched in the face. It is not something that is acceptable or will be tolerated.’’ Orr said Gallant needs to undergo anger management as well as receive counselling for mental health issues. The judge also ordered the woman to refrain from having any contact with the child’s father.