Sucker punch results in lifelong injury

A random and callous assault in downtown Penticton has led to lifelong injuries for the victim and a 17-month jail term for the attacker.

Joshua Alexander McBride, 33, was sentenced Monday in provincial court in Penticton on single counts of aggravated assault and uttering threats.

Court heard previously that around 2 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2016, McBride exited a vehicle, walked up to a complete stranger and said, “I’m an asshole, sorry about this,” before punching the victim in the back of the head and retreating up the street.

After the assault, McBride returned to his girlfriend’s car and threatened to kill her if she called the police, as she told him she intended to do.

The victim of the sucker-punch, whom The Herald has decided not to name, was in and out of consciousness after the assault and suffered eight broken facial bones. He still lives with blurred vision and had surgery to install a titanium plate in his face.

“He will have to live with that for the rest of his life,” Judge Meg Shaw said prior to handing down her decision Monday.

Crown counsel Kurt Froehlich, who sought 18 to 24 months’ jail time for McBride, read into the court record Monday a victim impact statement.

“Since the assault, it is hard for me to forget about all the surgeries and pain I had to go through. Each time I look in the mirror, it brings the incident back to me because of the scarring,” the victim said.

“I find when, and if, I walk around downtown I’m extremely cautious and nervous.”

Defence counsel Bob Maxwell had suggested a sentence of one year due to his client’s difficult upbringing.

Judge Shaw said in her decision she gave “some consideration for (McBride’s) traumatic and sad childhood,” also noting he had no prior criminal record.

Once released from jail, McBride will be on probation for two years.