A man with a history of addiction and criminal behaviour has committed to 'keeping the peace' after being arrested for an incident of anger in the Similkameen Valley in 2022. 

Twenty-seven year-old Donovan Graham was sentenced on Feb. 3, in Penticton Provincial Court, after pleading guilty to committing mischief under $5000 and uttering threats in an incident at a campground in Cawston on July 19, 2022. 

Graham had become upset after being told he had been evicted from the campground where he had been living. He broke several windows on a trailer belonging to a woman and threatened to light it on fire.

Graham attended the sentencing hearing virtually, from his current home in Prince George. A statement of agreed upon facts, pre-sentencing report and joint submission between Crown and defence were read to the court in the hearing.

As part of a pre-sentencing report, the court heard that Graham was born prematurely with an under-developed frontal brain lobe. As a child and teen, Graham spent many years in the custody of the Ministry of Child and Family Development.

"He was not getting love and affection," said Graham's defence lawyer in the pre-sentencing report about his time in the custody of the ministry.

After aging out of ministry custody, Graham experienced periods of housing insecurity and lived a transient lifestyle, which included the use of drugs. 

Graham has difficulty with emotional regulation due to the under-development of his brain. His condition, compounded by a substance use disorder, resulted in a string of numerous criminal convictions, said his lawyer. 

Prior to the 2022 arrest, Graham had amassed 13 convictions of mischief and uttering threats.

However, Crown and defence both submit that Graham has taken steps to disengage from a life of criminality, as shown by the absence of any convictions since 2022.

"He has made some big changes in his life," said Crown Prosecution in the hearing.

Since being released, Gaham has lived in stability with his mother, has engaged in courses to manage his emotions and prepare for future employment, and has maintained his sobriety.

Graham was given a one-year suspended sentence with 12 months of probation. He must keep the peace, not contact those involved in the 2022 incident and appear in court on a weekly basis. 

If there is a breach of the conditions on his suspended sentence, Graham would serve the remaining time in jail. 

Graham thanked the judge for taking into consideration his mental health, background, substance use disorder and medical condition when delivering his sentence. He vowed to keep the peace and committed to abstaining from drugs.