‘He is fortunate to be alive’: Inuk man who nearly bludgeoned uncle to death gets 33 months

A Quebec Inuk man sentenced to 33 months for a near-fatal assault on his uncle will serve less than half that after credit for time served. Photo by John Mahoney/Postmedia/File

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A Quebec judge has sentenced an Inuk man to 33 months in prison for nearly beating his uncle to death last summer with a metal bar while he was under a court order to stay away from the man.

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Timothy Assapa, 34, who “describes violence as ‘thrilling,'” pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and aggravated assault for attacks on his uncle, Sajuilie Assapa, on Jan. 4, 2025, and June 28, 2025. The first one involved striking his uncle on the head with a pair of scissors after they argued about alcohol, causing a cut above the hairline.

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In the June attack, Assapa beat his uncle to unconsciousness with a metal bar after an argument about money, leaving him with “moderate traumatic brain injury, along with multiple facial and skull fractures.”

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Just before 7 a.m. that day, police “found Sajuilie in a nearby bush. He was breathing but unresponsive and covered in blood. His face was swollen. He had sustained a significant laceration to the forehead,” Justice Matthew Ferguson wrote in a recent decision.

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“The photographs and the medical summary document the extent of the injuries. They are consistent with repeated, forceful blows to the head. He is fortunate to be alive.”

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The uncle’s “recovery required more than three months of institutional care” in Montreal, said the decision.

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Assapa spat on two police officers who arrested him that day. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a peace officer for that and breaching the conditions of his earlier release by contacting his uncle.

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“This case involves two assaults with a weapon against the same victim six months apart,” said the judge.

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“Both incidents took place while the accused was intoxicated. Together, they reveal a troubling pattern of extreme violence. The need for specific deterrence and public protection is clear. The sentence must make clear that any future resort to violence in such a state will attract a severe response.”

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Assapa lived with his uncle for most of his life in Puvirnituq, Que.

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The Crown argued for a prison sentence between 30 and 36 months.

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“It stresses the extreme violence. It underlines a troubling pattern: in both assaults, Mr. Assapa targeted the victim’s head,” said the June 11 decision.

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Assapa’s lawyer recommended an 18-month sentence. “Counsel pointed to Mr. Assapa’s genuine remorse,” said the decision. “He also points to a childhood marked by profound trauma as a significant mitigating factor.”

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Assapa has previous convictions for assault, drug possession, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, breaking and entering, assaulting a peace officer, assault with a weapon, mischief, and multiple counts of failing to comply with court-ordered release conditions.

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The judge pointed out multiple discrepancies between Assapa’s pre-sentence report (PSR) and a Gladue report that was prepared before his sentencing.

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Gladue principles stem from a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision that require sen­ten­cing judges to con­sider the unique cir­cum­stances of Indi­gen­ous offend­ers to address their overrep­res­ent­a­tion in Canada’s pris­ons. They require judges to take the impact of colonialism, residential schools and intergenerational trauma into account when sentencing Indigenous offenders.