An ex-North Slave Correctional Complex deputy warden has found himself on the opposite side of the law after receiving jail time for a drunken post-Christmas party bite attack that left his subordinate officer bloodied and bewildered.
John Beck was sentenced to four months behind bars Thursday following a day-long trial that saw Judge Michel Bourassa find the 46-year old guilty of assault causing bodily harm and mischief.
“It's not a happy situation for anyone involved. However, that's the nature of crime,”said Bourassa.
Beck's defence had asked for probation plus a fine, while Crown prosecutor Martha Chertkow said a sentence of six months in jail followed by 12 months probation was more appropriate.
Last December, Beck – who oversaw more than a dozen correctional officers as second in command at the Yellowknife jail, where he worked for 25 years – met with members of his “squad” for an alcohol-fueled Christmas party at a local bar and restaurant.
Afterwards, Beck, the victim, the victim's wife and another NSCC officer walked back to the victim's home, where the three men continued to drink.
“All of a sudden I felt a punch in my face,” the victim testified Wednesday.
Court heard more unwanted physical contact from Beck followed the unprovoked punch, with the offender dealing blows to the victim's ribs before putting him in a headlock.
The victim, who testified he often socialized with Beck outside of work before the incident, said he tried not to fight back.
“He's my boss. I said 'I'll let it slide.'”
But the violence escalated. The two fell to the ground; that's when the victim thought Beck was leaning in to whisper in his ear – but something entirely different happened.
“He bit off a piece of my face and spit it on the floor,” testified the victim, adding the bite caused “so much blood,” and left skin hanging off his face.
The confrontation also left a hole in the victim's wall.
Beck was arrested and charged on Dec.10, a day after the incident.
Beck testified he was fired from his high ranking position at the correctional facility shortly after his arrest.
Testifying Wednesday, Beck offered a starkly different version of events, telling the court he acted in self-defence after the victim refused to let him leave his residence.
Beck said the victim told him he was his responsibility because he'd been drinking at his house and that he couldn't let him walk home alone.
Beck testified he tried to leave when he was “attacked” by the victim. He admitted to biting the victim, but said it was in a panicked effort to free himself from a headlock that made him feel “very threatened.”
A series of surveillance video clips, recorded from the victim’s front door, were admitted as evidence. Beck and his lawyer suggested the footage, which showed Beck stumbling and slipping on a snowy deck, showed him “play fighting with his friend,” with no intent to hurt him.
Beck denied punching the victim.
Position of authority
In handing down his decision Thursday, Bourassa focused on Beck's position of authority over the victim. “That can't be ignored,” he said.
He stressed the fact Beck had “total control” over the victim's career – he evaluated job performances and made promotion recommendations. A power dynamic, he said, that extended outside the walls of work and into social situations. “Because of that relationship, the victim was submissive,” said Bourassa.
In an impact statement read allowed in court, the victim of the biting attack, who left a “very toxic” NSCC following the incident, stated the assault has had a lasting impact, causing disillusionment and stress.
“I didn't know how to trust the system I worked for, the system (Beck) was supposed to uphold,” read the victim's statement.
He added he was scared of what his co-workers thought and that his wife hated going in public because she felt like she was being scrutinized by people who knew about the incident.
Out of character
Citing testimony from witnesses, Bourassa acknowledged the attack was out of character for Beck, a champion dog-sled racer with no prior criminal convictions.
But he emphasized the seriousness of the assault which left the victim with an infected face wound. He concluded Beck's version of events didn't hold an “air of reality.”
Beck declined to address the court following the decision.
Relatives of Beck, who attended court during the day-long trial and sentencing hearing, broke down following the decision Thursday, consoling each other as they wept.
Following his sentence, Beck will be subject to a peace bond for one year. He's barred from contacting the victim and the victim's wife, and must submit a DNA sample.
Given Beck's history at NSCC, his lawyer asked Bourassa to recommend he serve his time elsewhere, as to not enter into a “very dangerous environment.”