'It just blew out of control': Charlottetown man gets jail time for assault with baseball bat
James Michael Wright sentenced to four months in jail for assault with a weapon
A Charlottetown man has been sentenced to four months in jail for assaulting another man with a baseball bat.
James Michael Wright, 42, was sentenced in Charlottetown provincial court Wednesday for charges that stem from an incident last fall.
Defence lawyer Chris White told the court Wright got into a fight with another man, Christopher Lambe, during an argument that "quickly bubbled out of control."
Both lawyers agreed that the fight started during an argument between the two men and that the circumstances surrounding how it escalated are unusual and still unknown.
The court heard that as the argument escalated Wright struck Lambe with a baseball bat and that Lambe then punched Wright repeatedly in the face, stomped on his head and kicked him.
White said Wright suffered severe injuries, including facial fractures. He asked the judge to consider the extent of the injuries and the pain Wright suffered as a result, when deciding on an appropriate sentence.
The judge was shown photos taken with a cell phone of the fight, which he described as brutal.
"We're all very fortunate, Mr. Wright, that you're in as good shape as you are today," said Judge John Douglas.
The Crown and defence submitted a joint sentencing recommendation to the court, which Douglas said he had no problem imposing in this case.
After he gets out of jail Wright will be on probation for a year.
Wright addressed the court before he was taken into custody, to apologize for his actions that day.
"It blew out of control," he said.
"I do totally apologize for taking your time up and the public's time," Wright said, referring to the crowd that witnessed the fight. "They didn't need to see what they saw at the time."
Lambe has already been sentenced to seven and a half months in jail for charges relating to the incident.