Man given prison time for hammer attack

Charles Dwayne Klassen has already passed the last two Christmases behind bars and will be spending several more there after he was sentenced to prison for a drug-fuelled hammer attack that left a man permanently injured.

“It was a devastating and dangerous attack,” Justice Timothy Keene said Monday of the aggravated assault. He sentenced Klassen to a further 43 months on top of the 29 months of pre-trial custody already served — for a total of six years.

Keene urged the 40-yearold, who previously worked in construction, to use the time to get his addictions under control so someday he can leave prison a changed man and a productive member of society.

“You can go to work as a valued tradesman, and get on with the balance of your life. I remind you, sir, that that will not be the case for (the victim),” the Court of Queen’s Bench judge added.

On Aug. 1, 2011, a 29-yearold man, who was a tenant in the same rooming house as Klassen and his “drug buddy,” was lying, possibly asleep, on a couch when his skull was crushed with a hammer wielded by Klassen.

“The victim’s situation is indeed sad ... It is clear he will not regain his former health,” Keene noted. Court heard the man suffered a permanent brain injury, had to undergo several surgeries, and had to relearn basic skills such as walking. He now has a plate in his head and still suffers a myriad of problems, including those with his vision, balance, the use of his left hand, and pain. Unable to return to work, he struggles financially.

Keene rejected the prosecution’s suggestion that the attack had been motivated by a dispute over grocery money. “There appears to be no underlying motivation or reason,” he added.

Klassen testified that he remembered nothing of the assault. Upon finding the badly injured victim, Klassen called 911, possibly saving the man’s life.

At the time, Klassen had been on a binge, going without sleep and using cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs.

“Mr. Klassen that is not a very good excuse. Because of the use of the drugs, you lost control ... The fact you can’t remember does not justify your actions,” Keene said.

In sentencing submissions last week, Crown prosecutor Erin Schroh sought a prison term of eight years, less credit for time already served. Defence lawyer Carson Demmans pressed for 30 to 52 months less remand time.

Keene said given the gravity of the offence and Klassen’s degree of responsibility, six years was a fit sentence.