Man jailed for assault on young child

Boy, 11 months old, suffered brain bleeds after alcohol-fuelled blows, court told

Left alone for three days with two children and limited food, Andrew Paul Chatsis snapped — and hit an 11-month-old boy.

When the boy’s mother returned home on April 5, 2018, she said the baby was crying and his head was covered in red marks.

The facts of the case were heard in Saskatoon provincial court in December, when Chatsis, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

Court heard he admitted slapping the boy because he wouldn’t stop crying. The woman told Chatsis to leave and took her son to St. Paul’s hospital, where he was treated for two brain bleeds, Crown prosecutor Tamara Rock said.

She told court the doctor’s prognosis was that the infant would recover from his injuries without surgery. However, it’s difficult to know if there will be any permanent damage until the boy is older, Rock noted.

She said Chatsis was extremely emotional during his initial court appearance and it’s obvious he is sorry for his actions.

Defence lawyer Ian Wagner said he’d be “hard-pressed” to find a client more remorseful than Chatsis. He said the man was frustrated with being abandoned in the home; when his friends showed up, they became intoxicated and the crying baby put Chatsis over the edge.

“He most certainly has the memory of striking the child once, but it’s obvious from the pictures that it’s more than once and he knows that,” Wagner said. “The word(s) he used is ‘I’m so ashamed.’ ”

The Crown and defence jointly proposed a jail sentence of two years less a day, which Judge Robert Jackson imposed. Rock said the typical range for aggravated assault on an infant is between three and five years, but a lesser sentence better reflects Chatsis’s remorse and minor, non-violent prior criminal record.

His probation conditions for the two years following his release from custody will include addictions, psychological and anger management assessment and treatment as required.

Wagner said Chatsis looks forward to the probationary aspect of his sentence because it will help him deal with his issues.

“Clearly this was a loss of temper,” Rock said.