A Lillooet man who bit a Mountie’s hand hard enough to draw blood and then punched him in the face has been ordered to spend six months on house arrest and another year on probation.
Allistair Neil McKay, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Kamloops provincial court to charges of assaulting a police officer causing bodily harm, escape from lawful custody, two counts of mischief, breach and obstructing police.
Court heard McKay was arrested in Lillooet on June 4 and soon after began to complain he’d broken his toe on the drain in his cell.
He was taken to hospital, where he became involved in a struggle with a Mountie while trying to flee.
Crown prosecutor Sheron O’Connor called it “quite a scuffle.” She said the fight spilled outside the hospital’s emergency department, onto a deck.
“Mr. McKay continued resisting, trying to get away,” O'Connor said.
“[The constable] describes grabbing him in sort of a bear hug trying to hold him still, control his arms and get handcuffs on — but he wasn’t successful. He was struck multiple times by Mr. McKay. They ended up outside where one handcuff was placed on him and Mr. McKay bit the officer’s hand, which drew some blood. Then he was hit in the face by Mr. McKay — in the nose, specifically.”
O’Connor said McKay then jumped off the deck — a drop of about eight feet — and hid in some shrubs, where he was located a short time later.
Some of the charges McKay pleaded guilty to on Tuesday were from incidents months earlier, in Feb. 2021. Alcohol was a factor in each of the offences.
Defence lawyer Joe Killoran said McKay has struggled with addiction, but he is now living in treatment at Vision Quest, where he’s having some success.
“He told me Jan. 4 was seven months sobriety for him, which is as long as he’s ever had,” he said.
McKay said sorry in court.
“I apologize and I’d like to continue my recovery,” he said.
Kamloops provincial court Judge Stella Frame sentenced McKay to a six-month conditional sentence order, to be followed by a 12-month probation term.
McKay was also ordered to submit a sample of his DNA to a national criminal database. In addition, he will be banned from possessing firearms for 10 years.
