Two men involved in a home invasion in Abbotsford in June 2023 were sentenced Monday (Jan. 13) after pleading guilty on what was supposed to be the first day of their trial.
Matthew Roy and Alexander Sladeczeck both pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
Roy, 34, was sentenced to six years, but with credit for time served, he has about three years and eight months left to serve.
Sladeczeck was sentenced to four years, but was given three months’ credit for time already served.
They each faced three more charges – unlawful confinement, break-and-enter and robbery – but those were stayed during proceedings in B.C Supreme Court in Abbotsford.
The 15-day jury trial was scheduled to start Monday morning when lawyers for Roy and Sladeczeck informed the court that their clients would instead be changing their pleas on two of the five charges.
Crown lawyer Beverley Lane read a brief synopsis of the incident that led to the pair being charged.
She said that on the afternoon of June 23, 2023, Roy and Sladeczeck entered an apartment unit in the 33900 block of George Ferguson Way that was occupied by a man and his girlfriend.
Lane said Roy and Sladeczeck began beating the man with a metal object, and Sladeczeck stabbed him twice.
They told the victim to take a shower to wash off the blood, and afterwards Roy and Sladeczeck beat him further “with a variety of household objects, including frying pans, cups, various dishes,” Lane said.
“Mr. Roy took a pair of needle-nose pliers and basically put it on (the victim’s) nose and twisted his nose with it,” she said.
The two offenders also heated up some kitchen utensils on the stove and placed them on the victim’s back, neck and leg, Lane said.
Police were notified that there was a home invasion in progress. When they arrived, Roy was arrested when he responded to a demand to leave the building.
Sladeczeck escaped through a back window but was later arrested.
Lane said the victim left the building wearing only his underwear. He was covered in blue paint – one of the objects used to assault him was a paint can – and his face was swollen and he had stab wounds and burns all over his body.
His hair has also been cut during the attack, Lane said.
The reason for the attack was not provided during the sentencing hearing.
“Motivations won’t be spoken about. They don’t validate what happened in any way, shape or form,” said Roy’s lawyer, Carl Arnason.
He said his client has been living on the streets since the age of 16 and has a “difficult criminal record” with prior convictions that include stabbings in July 2020 and March 2022 on Riverside Road.
Sladeczeck’s lawyer, Jayce Reveley, said his client’s “substance misuse” led to him becoming involved in the “local criminal subculture.”
“It’s our hope that can change by way … of this sentence.”
Justice Maria Morellato agreed with the lawyers’ joint sentencing recommendations and said Roy was getting more time than Sladeczeck because of his longer and more-violent criminal record.
A third individual, Ashley Lunan, was also charged in relation to the home invasion, but charges were later stayed against her.
