Man sentenced for assault

A P.E.I. man who several witnesses said grabbed a man by the throat outside a Charlottetown apartment building was recently sentenced to 45 days in jail.

Mark Adam MacKinnon, 42, appeared before Chief Judge Jeff Lantz in provincial court in Charlottetown by video from jail where he was in custody.

MacKinnon initially pleaded not guilty to the assault, uttering a threat and two other charges, but after a trial Lantz found him guilty.

During the trial, the victim testified he saw MacKinnon outside his apartment building in downtown Charlottetown and told him to leave.

The victim said MacKinnon grabbed him by the throat and squeezed but didn’t cause any serious injuries.

MacKinnon also threatened to “punch him out” the next time he saw him, the victim said.

The court heard from other witnesses who said they saw MacKinnon assault the victim.

MacKinnon denied the allegations.

In his recent decision, Lantz said he was satisfied the testimony he heard during the trial established beyond a reasonable doubt that MacKinnon grabbed the victim by the throat and threatened him.

The court heard MacKinnon had a long criminal record that included 11 assault convictions.

Before hearing his sentence, MacKinnon said it wasn’t a severe altercation and no one was hurt.

“The facts are still up in the air as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Along with the jail time, Lantz placed MacKinnon on probation for one year, which included conditions he have no contact with the victim and that he stay away from his apartment building.