A Nanaimo man has received a one-year suspended sentence and a fine for assault and driving his car with the passenger door open and a woman hanging out of the car.
The incident happened March 31. Police received a 911 call shortly before 4:30 p.m. that a woman was hanging out of a vehicle while it drove down Bruce Avenue in the Harewood area.
Police stated at the time that the woman hung out the side of the vehicle for nearly a kilometre before a man and his two sons following the car were able to pull their pickup in front of the car to block its path.
The man and his two sons, who asked police to withhold their identities, told police the car was driving at speeds of 30 km/h to 50 km/h while the woman was hanging out of it.
The woman was about three months pregnant.
Jay Paul Guzina pleaded guilty on Oct. 23 to one count of assault and one count of driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.
He received a one-year suspended sentence, one year probation, a victim surcharge of $50 and an order to report for DNA sample collection for the assault charge.
Probation conditions include participating in and successfully completing a counselling program at the direction of the probation officer.
Guzina also received a $750 fine for the Motor Vehicle Act offence.
Crown counsel Ron Parsons said it is not clear whether Guzina was trying to hold the woman in the car or get her to exit and there is no evidence she ever struck the ground, but the Crown’s position is that Guzina should have stopped the car to sort out the situation before carrying on.
As for the assault charge, Parsons said Guzina pleaded guilty to striking the woman and holding onto her hair while she was in the vehicle.