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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Man pleads guilty to home invasion; was out on bail

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 07/27/2012 12:18 PM

A young man pleaded guilty in court today to a horrific and random home invasion that put a Winnipeg family through a night of hell only weeks after he underwent a court-ordered mental health assessment and was on bail.

Wearing a dark suit and shackles, the lanky young man with a long, thick beard and hair was led into court this morning and pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including aggravated assault, sexual assault with a weapon, unlawful confinement, uttering threats and failing to comply with bail conditions to be home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Police had originally charged the man, who was 18 at the time, with 25 offences.

His victims, a family of four including a mom and dad and a teenage son and daughter, were not in court Friday. Their identities have been protected by a publication ban.

The Free Press is not identifying the home invader in order to publish details about his prior youth involvement with the justice system, which leads to questions about the type of supervision and treatment he was receiving while free in the community and being assessed for his mental state.

The Free Press learned the accused was out on bail at the time following an arrest in April 2010 that raised concerns about his mental health. The man, who was just 17 at the time, was caught by police walking through the Exchange District carrying a knife and an energy drink. He was wearing a red bandana, tuque and sunglasses -- despite it being just past midnight.

Police charged the accused with carrying a concealed weapon and expressed concerns about his mental state in their formal report, advising he be seen by a doctor prior to being released.

Court records show a forensic assessment was completed in August before the October home invasion and was going to be tabled at an upcoming hearing on the pending charges. No other details about its findings are available. The accused had just turned 18 and had been out on bail. His conditions included a nightly curfew of 10 p.m. and an order to reside at a home in Elmwood.

He now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18 and is expected to last at least two days.