A B.C. business owner who survived a brutal beating last year is speaking out as her attacker is about to be sentenced.
The attack happened Sept. 28 as Michelle Cubin was behind her essential oil business with an employee in the East Kootenay community of Kimberley.
That’s when the husband of another employee she had recently terminated pulled into the parking lot and began berating her.
“He told my employee that she had better get out of here, and then he proceeded to attack me, punch me in the face, threw me to the ground,” she told Global News.
As Cubin’s employee called 911, the attack continued.
“He still kept kicking and punching and dragging me all across the parking lot,” she said.
“He ended up … grabbing my pants, ripping my pants off, punched me in the head, punched me in the face. Somehow got me on my back, kneeled on my chest, punching me repeatedly for about six minutes the 911 call is.”
He eventually relented when another bystander showed up, and got into his truck and drove away, she said.
Colin Harrison was charged and released. He ultimately pleaded guilty to assault and is due to be sentenced on May 30.
But the attack has had lasting effects on Cubin, who suffered a concussion and still grapples with the effects, including memory loss, irritability, fatigue and stress. She said it’s also affected her children, the youngest of whom now gets “super panicky” when he hears sirens.
“It’s still isolating and lonely. You get assaulted, all the bruises and stuff heal — you seem like you are fine, but you’re not,” she said.
What’s more, she said her attacker lives just a few minutes’ drive from her home, and that she often sees him out and about in their small community.
She said she’s been left fearful coming and going from her business, and can’t stop looking over her shoulder when she is alone.
“I was never scared of men before, really. I am now,” she said.
“I kind of avoid going to work. Once I am at work, I am good, but I definitely overthink the first coming to work and stuff.”
Cubin’s friend Krista Moody said the process of healing has been long and complicated, but that she’s been impressed by her friend’s resilience.
“We spend a lot of time alone in our stores, and just the fear she has now, every single day, coming here — but she still keeps her business going, so I have noticed that strength in her,” Moody said.
“She just keeps going but some days are really hard physically and emotionally for her.”
Moody said the community has rallied around her friend, with people volunteering to escort Cubin to and from work to help her feel safe, or dropping flowers off at her shop.
She said the neighbourhood has also been on the lookout to ensure the area around the business is safe, but that the community remains on edge.
“The fact that someone would have that little self-control and be violent enough to pull up to her place of work and beat her? He had steel-toed boots on, he kicked her in the head, punched her in the head for six minutes,” she said.
“If she hadn’t fought back so hard, I don’t know what state she would be in now.”
Cubin and her supporters are now anxiously awaiting a sentence, and say they hope her attacker is given time behind bars.
Cubin, meanwhile, said she felt it was important to speak out to shine a light on the violence.
“How little support there is and how little awareness there is for these types of things, and how often it happens — you don’t hear about it.,” she said.
“And the legal system, everything is so behind. It happened Sept. 28, and I am still dealing with it. He is still walking around, and I am still looking over my shoulder all the time.”