WARNING: The following story includes graphic details of domestic violence.
A young woman broke down in tears at the Penticton Courthouse, detailing how she thought she might die during a severe beating by her ex-boyfriend, Levi Thomas Johnson, last September.
Johnson, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of assault, a second count of assault causing bodily harm, and one count of breaching his bail conditions by having contact with the woman.
Justice Lynette Jung sentenced Johnson to 286 days of further custody -- or almost nine months -- on top of the more than six months he’s already been in custody since his arrest on Sept. 27, 2024.
“It could have been my last breath... I was scared for my life,” said the woman, 24, who was consoled by her mother while reading a written statement to the court.
The court heard that Johnson had been released on strict conditions after being arrested for assaulting the same woman on March 28 of last year, when the second attack took place.
The second assault resulted in the woman suffering several injuries to her face, including a swollen right eye and a small fracture of one eye socket that didn’t require surgery but caused significant pain, said Crown attorney Andrew Vandersluys.
The fact that the second assault was more violent than the first and took place while he was under court orders to have no contact with her is a serious aggravating factor in this case, said Vandersluys.
The court also heard that Johnson had assaulted another young woman back in February of 2023 and received an 18-month suspended sentence.
“Johnson definitely has serious anger management issues that need to be addressed,” said Vandersluys.
The two violent assaults not only severely impacted the victim but also her family and her community, said the victim.
The attacks have caused immense stress and led to repeated nightmares where she often awakes in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, she said.
She “could easily have been another” young Indigenous woman who ended up dead or seriously injured as a result of intimate partner assault, she said.
She’s thankful that she has recovered from her injuries and is able to become a voice for other young women who are victims of intimate partner violence, she said.
“I hope you get the help you need... I wish you well. I hope you don’t do this to others,” she told Johnson, who buried his head in his hands during her statement to the court while wearing red overalls from a holding cell at the Okanagan Correctional Centre.
The court heard that on March 28, 2024, police were called by a third party who witnessed a young man involved in a domestic dispute with a young woman in a vehicle on a side street in Penticton, said Vandersluys.
When police arrived, the woman had “clear signs” of injuries to her face as Johnson had punched her once in the mouth and hit her with an open hand on her face numerous times after punching and shattering the passenger side window of the vehicle, he said.
The woman was reluctant to press charges but changed her mind after talking to family members, he said.
Part of Johnson’s bail conditions were to have no contact with the woman, but he disobeyed those orders as they got into another altercation on Sept. 27 in a field near a local high school, said Vandersluys.
They had both had a couple of drinks when Johnson accused the woman of being unfaithful, then proceeded to slap and hit her in the face and break her glasses, he said.
The woman was taken to Penticton Regional Hospital, and doctors noticed her right eye was swollen shut and she had suffered “facial edema” or severe swelling, along with the fractured eye socket, he said.
The fact Johnson saved the woman from testifying at two different trials and has accepted responsibility by pleading guilty is a mitigating factor, said Vandersluys.
Defence counsel Nelson Selemaj said Johnson moved to Penticton from Ontario with his mother as a baby and has had a difficult upbringing. His mother was a drug addict who died young from an overdose, his biological father wasn’t present in his life, and his stepfather was abusive.
Johnson was also the passenger in a tragic motor vehicle accident that claimed the life of his brother, he said.
He was in foster care starting at age 14 and moved out on his own at age 16, said Selemaj.
Johnson has worked as a roofer for several years and has made significant strides in custody, including taking counselling, attending Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, attending church services, and completing other courses.
His goal is to remain clean and sober, continue counselling and other programs, get released, and help his sister-in-law and her children, he said.
Considering his young age, difficult upbringing, and his remorse for his actions, as well as accepting responsibility by pleading guilty, it’s his hope Johnson won’t reoffend “and be in this position again,” he said.
Jung told the court one Canadian woman is killed every six days as a result of intimate partner violence “and this has to stop.”
The victim’s statement to the court clearly demonstrates the numerous devastating effects these assaults have caused, she said.
“We, as a community, have to say it’s not acceptable,” she said.
She agreed the fact that the second, more serious assault happened while he was out on bail for a previous assault was a serious aggravating factor, said Jung.
Under all the circumstances, the joint submission of 16 months in jail, followed by 18 months of probation, is reasonable, she said.
“It says we, as a community, decided what he did was wrong,” she said.
During the 18 months of probation once he’s released from prison, Johnson is to seek counselling as suggested by his probation officer, have no contact or communication with his victim, not possess or own any firearm or prohibited weapon for 10 months, and submit a DNA sample for a national crime data bank.
