Sentence issued for violent, unprovoked attack

A Prince George man was sentenced Friday to 21 1/2 months in jail for a violent and apparently unprovoked assault on a man nearly twice his age that left the victim with a what will likely be a permanent disability.

Less credit for time served, Dakota James Fairchild, 24, will serve a further six months in jail, followed by three years probation for the Aug. 24, 2018 attack. Fairchild had been drinking and had been asked to leave a gathering because of his behaviour. Later the same evening, he went to a local liquor store with a friend and his father when he suddenly turned on the older man.

Video from a nearby security camera showed Fairchild punching the man until he slumped to the ground and then kicking him as many as four times. Fairchild was in such a rage that bystanders refused to intervene and by the time RCMP had arrived, he was jumping up and down on the hood of a car.

The victim was conscious when police arrived, although he may have been knocked out for a time.

The man, who was 20 years older than Fairchild, suffered what is probably permanent damage to an eye and needed repairs to his teeth. An electrician who earned $100,000 a year, he has been unable to return to work because he now suffers from double vision in the one eye.

Crown prosecution was seeking as much as three years in jail while defence counsel argued for time served.

Due to the degree of harm the victim suffered, provincial court judge Michael Gray found Fairchild deserved to serve more time in jail but not as much as Crown had been seeking.

Gray said Fairchild had been binge drinking and that people must take responsibilty for their consumption of alcohol and the consequences.

However, Gray also found Fairchild may be suffering from mental health issues brought on by the trauma of a childhood filled with “enormous suffering and deprivation.”

Gray also noted Fairchild wrote a note of apology to the victim saying he regrets what he did every day and that it “clings to you like an evil shadow.”

Fairchild, who has remained in custody since his arrest and has no previous criminal record, also vowed to never drink again.

Conditions of Fairchild’s probation include a curfew for the first six months and 80 hours of community work. He must also take counselling as directed by his probation officer.

And after six months, he must attend Indigenous court to speak to elders about the efforts he has made to turn his life around.