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BARRHEAD - A man who pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with conditions received 60 days in jail and 12 months of probation; however, due to the time he has already been incarcerated, he is in a time-served situation.
Joseph Ronald Shortridge, appearing in Barrhead Court of Justice on Jan. 23 from the Edmonton Remance Centre via CCTV, pleaded guilty to the charges.
The Crown prosecutor, Anthony Estephan, withdrew an assault charge that had been scheduled for trial that day, along with an additional failing to comply with an undertaking.
Justice Gordon Putnam handed down the sentence as part of a joint submission from the Crown and defence. Putnam also waived the victim fee surcharge.
Estephan said that Shortridge, following his arrest on June 12, 2013, was released on an undertaking with one of the conditions being that he was not to attend a former girlfriend's residence.
Five days later, the RCMP received a report saying Shortridge was in the complainant's home.
"She could see the accused was inside her home via a video surveillance camera," Estephan said. "Officers attended the house, obtained a tele-warrant and arrested the accused still inside the house."
The second charge occurred following an incident on July 8, 2023,
Estephan said police received a complaint from Shortridge's ex-girlfriend stating he was at her residence.
"[After the complainant called the police] Shortridge took off on a bicycle Const. David Serdobinstsev attended the ex-girlfriend's home, where he learned that Shortridge had rang the doorbell several times, waking [the complaintant] up from her sleep; she opened the door, telling him to leave, saying that he could not stay at the residence and that her neighbours would report him."
Estephan noted the sentence breaks down as 30 days for the breach of an undertaking in June along with 12-month probation, and a second 30 days for the breach in July, served consecutively with the first charge.
As for conditions of probation, he said, they are relatively standard, being to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, report to the court when required, notify the court of any changes in living conditions and change of employment and have no contact with the complainant.
Estephan said mitigating factors include the early guilty plea, which shows he is taking responsibility for his actions.
However, he added there are aggravating factors, including a two-page criminal record with entries between June 2011 and August 2019.
"Which include numerous incidents of failing to comply and attend court," Estephan said, adding the most recent of which Shortridge received one and 10 days in custody. "So we are taking a substantial step up in light that stems from intimate partner violence."
Defence counsel Ralph Douglas Vigen noted his client had been in custody since July 21.
"There is nothing else we [can apply the time to], so it is a time-served situation," he said, asking for the victim's fine surcharge. "He has been in custody for quite some time, and paying would be an unnecessary hardship."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
