An Alberta man has been handed an 18-month sentence for a string of sucker punch attacks on strangers in downtown Vancouver last year.
In handing down the sentence on Friday, B.C. Provincial Court Judge Susan Sangha said the community had been “understandably shocked and frightened” by Zachary Shettell’s assaults.
“These crimes occurred in the context of a downtown core that has been on the decline and amongst a population that is on edge,” Sangha said.
“That some could act in the way that Mr. Shettell did is terrifying and reprehensible.”
Shettell pleaded guilty to three stranger assaults, along with a fourth assault where he poured hot coffee on a bank teller, and to stealing an $850 Canada Goose vest from Holt Renfrew.
The first assault happened on Nov. 24, outside the Fairmont Hotel, when Shettell walked up to a 35-year-old man and punched him in the face.
Then, on Nov. 25, he punched a 29-year-old man on West Pender near Granville Street.
On Nov. 28, he then punched a 28-year-old man outside The Bay on West Georgia, knocking him to the ground.
“Mr. Shettell isn’t able to provide any explanation or motive for the assaults,” the judge said.
Sangha noted that while none of the victims suffered lasting injuries, all of them continue to be fearful in the wake of the attacks.
Shettell has a lengthy criminal record with 27 prior convictions, including two for assault and one for bodily harm.
He is a regular cannabis user and has a history of opiate use, but denies he needs any treatment or counselling for substance misuse or that he has any psychiatric conditions.
Before the sentence was handed down, Shettell addressed the court.
“I was very disappointed with the choices I made in November last year. I feel bad for the people, the victims that I hurt. They didn’t deserve that,” he said.
“I’m … working on myself, doing my best to move forward and make some positive changes with my life.”
During sentencing submissions, his lawyer, Jason Hemmerling, told the court Shettell was lost and alone in the city, had been robbed, was abusing drugs and in a “very, very hyper-stressed-out state of mind” at the time of the attacks.
Hemmerling added that Shettell planned to return to Alberta, seek construction work and go to school.
Crown prosecutors had called for an 18-month sentence, followed by two years of probation, while Shettell’s defence argued for a sentence of time served (10 months) plus probation.
Sangha agreed with the Crown submission, noting there were multiple aggravating factors in the case, while the only mitigating factor was Shettell’s guilty pleas.
“Mr. Shettell lunged at his victims aggressively and in a way that was incredibly violent,” she ruled.
“In doing so, he put his victims at risk of serious personal injury.”
After credit for time served, Shettell will spend another 220 days.