B.C. man beat a woman with a bat in her bedroom. A judge praised his remorse and reduced his sentence

A B.C. home invader who beat a women with a baseball bat received a reduced sentence after a judge cited his rehabilitation and remorse. Photo by Getty Images

Article content

A B.C. man who broke into a woman’s home and beat her with a baseball bat while her children hid nearby was awarded a reduced sentence last week because the judge was convinced the 25-year-old is “not now the person he was when he viciously and irrationally attacked” his victim.

Article content

Craig Brentton Durando was granted a conditional sentence of two years less a day for assault with a weapon, robbery and breaking and entering — offences to which he pleaded guilty last October — allowing him to serve his time in a provincial correctional facility.

Article content

Article content

Article content

The home invasion in Kelly Balatti’s home occurred in September 2023, but was precipitated by earlier events involving her son, Nicolas.

Article content

Article content

In August, he and another man named Nikolas Downey exchanged mutual insults and threats at a house party and continued their feud into September via TikTok and Snapchat.

Article content

“On September 4, Downey sent (Nicolas) Balatti a message saying ‘see you tonight’ with a kiss emoji,” wrote Madam Justice Jennifer M.I. Duncan of the Supreme Court of B.C. in her recently published decision.

Article content

That night, Durando and three other men drove from Kitimat to Terrace, where they mustered with Downey and arrived at the Balatti residence early in the morning with plans to confront and assault Nicolas Balatti.

Article content

Durando, who had been drinking and using cocaine beforehand, kicked in the door and entered the home with Downey and another man, while another stayed outside and the third waited in the car.

Article content

Downey and Durando searched for their target, but the latter first came across Kelly Balatti in bed. After taking her jewelry, he ordered her onto the floor, where he proceeded to beat her with the bat while demanding to know her son’s whereabouts.

Article content

Article content

When she attempted to answer, “he kicked her several times in the mouth” with such force that “her head hit the wall behind her.”

Article content

Article content

After using the bat to hit the walls and the television, he threatened to come back if she called or told anyone.

Article content

“He raised the bat above his head and asked her if she wanted to know his name. She said no. He lowered the bat and said, “good,’” Duncan wrote.

Article content

Unbeknownst to Durando was that the woman’s teenage son was also home and called the police while he hid in his closet, while an elementary-school-aged daughter hid in her room.

Article content

Durando and Downey fled out the back door when police arrived and were later arrested.

Article content

While he had previous convictions for uttering threats, mischief, weapons offences and personation and had served some time, Durando had “managed to stay out of trouble with the criminal justice system” for over two years before the violent home invasion and assault, though he was steadily unemployed and struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

Article content

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she suffers ongoing back pain from her injuries and remains traumatized.