A Wasaga Beach man who smashed through his neighbour’s door and attacked him, unprovoked, and then fled the province is on his way to the penitentiary.
On Tuesday, Brayden Bullock was handed a four-year sentence, which was reduced to 27 months and six days after being given credit for pre-trial custody.
The 21-year-old man appeared upset that he wasn’t able to return to a provincial jail and shook his head. A female friend, who blew him a kiss as he was escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs, was in tears.
In issuing the sentence, Ontario Superior Court Justice Michelle Fuerst said Bullock essentially invaded the neighbour’s home where he stabbed him several times just over a year ago.
“He (the neighbour) was minding his own business in his home,” she said in her decision.
Court heard the neighbour received stitches for the wounds to his arm, chest and hip, but continues to suffer from their effects and was forced to change jobs as a result.
Bullock, who had earlier pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, was initially charged with attempted murder after being apprehended in Saskatchewan eight days later, following a manhunt which started with a police helicopter and tracking dog.
It all began at Bullock’s mom’s home on March 13, 2021, when Bullock punched his brother in the face, splitting his lip.
Court heard his mom fled to the neighbour's house, asking for help. An out-of-control Bullock then showed up in the neighbour’s yard where the neighbour tried to calm him down.
But after the neighbour retreated into his home, Bullock returned carrying a knife, smashed the door open and attacked the 33-year-old man with his young family inside.
Through a victim impact statement, the neighbour told to the court he continues to suffer from his injuries and has difficulty sleeping. His fiancee and children continue to be frightened as a result of the attack.
In reviewing the facts, Fuerst described Bullock’s upbringing as dysfunctional and living conditions as rough. Bullock, the son of teen parents, was drinking and consuming cannabis in his teens and developed a youth criminal record involving violence.
The judge said a youth probation officer who worked with him for five years described him as having a good heart and he excelled at a program for youths.
An assessment in his pre-sentence report also indicated he could do well with support through a controlled, structured environment and by abstaining from alcohol.
During his sentencing hearing last month, Bullock apologized and told the court that he “was in a very bad place” and intoxicated at the time of the attack. He described an unsupportive childhood in which he suffered verbal, emotional and physical abuse and received an early introduction to drugs and alcohol which landed him in rehab at age 17.
While in custody awaiting trial, Bullock earned 16 high school credits.
