No jail for assault on woman

Andrew Joseph Ryan gets conditional sentence on two charges

A P.E.I. man who assaulted a woman who said she scratched him in her attempt to get away was recently given a 60-day conditional sentence.

Andrew Joseph Ryan, 31, appeared before Judge Jeff Lantz in provincial court in Charlottetown where he was sentenced on one count of assault and one count of breaching an undertaking.

Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Nathan Beck told the court that on Jan. 28, the police responded to a call after a woman reported Ryan assaulted her.

The victim told police the two were arguing when he pushed her back onto a bed where he pinned her down after she tried to get up.

Beck said the woman told police she did what she could to get away, including scratching Ryan.

She also told police Ryan had taken a large quantity of methadone and an unknown number of pills.

The court heard that when the police arrived, they found Ryan on a fire escape and later took him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a mental health assessment.

Beck said Ryan told police the victim wouldn’t let him leave the apartment at which point she scratched his neck and punched him in the nose.

The court also heard that in October, the victim reported several breaches of a no-contact order, including Ryan sending text messages, calling her and contacting her through social media.

Beck said some of the text messages included discussions about the matters that were before the court, but he added there was no obstruction.

Ryan addressed the court before hearing his sentence, saying he had an opiate addiction and has been on a very low dose of methadone.

He asked Lantz to give him another chance.

During the conditional sentence, Ryan will be under house arrest unless he has his supervisor’s approval to leave his home.

He will also be subject to electronic monitoring.

Ryan will be on probation for 18 months once his sentence is served.