‘Predatory’ attacker spared penitentiary sentence after robbing unconscious man outside bar

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This article was published 12/02/2025 (468 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to two years less a day in jail after a “predatory” attack on an unconscious man outside a Winnipeg nightclub that left him with a partially severed tongue and unable to speak properly for months.

Ethan McDougall, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery for the Aug. 31, 2024, attack outside the Palomino Club on Main Street.

Because the victim had already been assaulted by another, unidentified attacker, it was impossible to determine with certainty who inflicted the man’s various injuries, said defence lawyer John Corona.

“We can’t really point to what injuries were caused by this accused, but it was clearly a robbery,” Corona told provincial court Judge Rachel Rusen at a sentencing hearing Tuesday.

Court heard the victim was trying to break up a fight between two women outside the bar around 2:30 a.m. when he was assaulted by an unidentified man and knocked unconscious.

Security video showed McDougall, who did not know the victim, kicking and stomping the still-unconscious victim moments later before ripping a chain from his neck, said Crown attorney Ben Wickstrom.

McDougall walked away, then returned and stomped on the victim again and stole his watch.

A witness called police and McDougall was arrested at the scene a short time later.

The victim’s injuries included a fractured skull, a brain bleed and a “grisly injury” to his tongue, Wickstrom said.

“The attribution of these injuries is a difficult issue,” he said.

“The victim indicates he wasn’t able to speak properly for several months, which isn’t a surprise, given the injuries to his mouth.”

The victim, who works as a loss-prevention officer, continues to suffer from fear, anxiety, nightmares and frequent headaches, he wrote in a victim impact statement provided to court.

McDougall has prior convictions for assault, uttering threats and firearm offences. At the time of the attack he was bound by a nightly curfew imposed after he was convicted of domestic assault.

“I think it’s fair to say if he followed that curfew, we wouldn’t be here today,” said Wickstrom, who recommended Rusen sentence McDougall to four years in prison.

Court heard McDougall has a family history of residential school involvement and that his criminal convictions are all rooted in his addiction to alcohol.

“Given the level of violence and the predatory nature of the offence here, it is time to get serious with Mr. McDougall, to send him a very strong message,” Wickstrom said.

McDougall has never served a penitentiary sentence — two years and above — and would not have access to the same addiction counselling he could receive at Headingley Correctional Centre, where he is currently lodged, Corona said.

“He will leave the pen a different man, a worse man, in my opinion,” Corona said. “The pen is an awful place for a man like this. He is a babe in the woods.”

Rusen sided with the defence, saying the Crown sentencing recommendation was too high for someone who hasn’t yet served a penitentiary sentence.

McDougall apologized to the victim, who was not present in court, saying: “I want to get my drinking straight.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca