A man who broke into a Nanaimo house early Christmas morning and stole presents while the residents slept has been sentenced to 240 days in jail.
Justin Redmond Feusse, 20, pleaded guilty to numerous charges in provincial court in Nanaimo on Tuesday, including for a break-and-enter at a house located at Stonewater Drive at 3 a.m. this past Dec. 25. Approximately $3,200 worth of gifts were stolen, including a pair of iPhone Xs, cash and Xbox video games, and the father was forced to purchase all the presents again on Boxing Day.
Feusse also pleaded guilty to a pair of other break-and-enters, use of a stolen credit card and assault. Feusse has been in jail since turning himself in in early January and received credit for 198 days of time served. Judge J. Douglas Cowling sentenced Feusse to time served for a break-and-enter on Dufferin Crescent, reported Sept. 4, when he subsequently used a stolen credit card. Feusse received one day for a January 2017 break-and-enter at White Road (where a $550 Playstation was stolen), 21 days for a Nov. 25 assault, where he punched a woman on the side of her head, and 240 days for the Christmas Day theft to be served concurrently. He must also pay back $3,230 to the Stonewater Drive home residents.
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During his submissions, Basil McCormick, Crown counsel, said Feusse’s fingerprints were found on a window sill and boxes discarded blocks away from the residence. Citing a victim impact statement, McCormick said the family has since purchased a security system and a guard dog and their sense of privacy and security has been shattered.
Stephen Littley, Feusse’s legal counsel, said his client is of Métis descent, has a substance abuse problem, including with fentanyl, and his family was dysfunctional and he witnessed violence. He was also placed in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development and returned to his parents after they achieved sobriety.
Prior to sentencing, Feusse addressed the court and apologized for his actions.
McCormick entered a stay of proceedings related to a separate charge of possessing a stolen credit card and property.
Feusse will also be subject to an 18-month probation order and as part of the conditions, he will not be allowed within one kilometre of Stonewater Drive and must not have contact with the break-in and assault victims.
Axel Wolfgang Lambert, 21 when he was arrested in January, was also charged in relation to the Stonewater Drive break-and-enter. His next day in court is June 4.
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