ESTEVAN — A contested sentencing hearing was held Sept. 22 in Estevan Provincial Court for a man facing charges for aggravated assault and drug incidents.
Bradley Williams had previously pleaded guilty to one count each of uttering threats, aggravated assault and forcible confinement involving two victims, in connection with an incident in November 2023. As for the drug bust, which occurred in August 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking cocaine.
Other charges from the incidents were stayed, including possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine and breaching the terms of a release order.
The provincial Crown is seeking two years in custody, minus remand time, for the uttering threats, aggravated assault and forcible confinement charges, and the federal Crown is asking for an 18-24-month concurrent sentence on the drug trafficking charge. Williams would then have three years of probation with conditions once released from custody.
Williams’ defence attorney, Tyson Talhan, countered the defence is seeking a conditional sentence order of two years less a day, followed by three years’ probation.
Crown prosecutor Travis Avery said he and Talhan tried to reach an agreement, but they still have some disagreements.
“From the provincial Crown’s perspective, as part of the deal for the pleas, we have agreed to the limit of what we’re asking for in terms of the sentence,” Avery told the court.
On or about Nov. 7, 2023, Avery said the Estevan Police Service was called to an apartment complex where one of the victims lived. The caller was a neighbour who said it sounded like somebody was getting hurt. Avery said the motivation for the incident appears to have been a drug debt or to conceal criminal behaviour.
When police arrived, Avery said officers spoke with one of the victims, who was observed to have cuts and bruises to his face and a bloodied nose. The victim noted four people had entered his apartment and assaulted him, Avery said.
The prosecutor noted one of the victims suffered a broken orbital bone. The other sustained two fractured ribs and what Avery called “a severe facial hematoma”. Avery noted some cash was taken from the victim’s residence, and one of the victims said he used to sell cocaine for the accused.
The EPS obtained and executed search warrants at multiple locations in the city, Avery said, including one each on 12th Avenue and Cundall Drive, and two on Fourth Street. At Williams’ address, a number of items were seized, including a baseball bat, a collapsable baton and BB guns.
“Custodial statements were subsequently taken from others involved. Only Mr. Williams … provided anything of substance. During the course of his sworn statement, he acknowledged being in the apartment … he acknowledged they were both beat up, he acknowledged that they had been restrained.”
Avery also acknowledged striking one of the victims, the identity of the two people and that he felt terrible about what happened.
“I will say I have watched that custodial statement once. The emotions used in that custodial statement are consistent with the remorse expressed in the pre-sentence order,” said Avery.
While Williams doesn’t have a criminal record, Avery said Williams was quite “candid” in the pre-sentence report about past involvement in a criminal lifestyle, including organized crime, and Avery added this incident in particular was linked to a criminal organization.
A co-accused in the matter, Nathan Mangaard, pleaded earlier this year and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in custody. Another man, Billie Bertram, has matters before the court and, according to Avery, is at large on an unrelated matter. Charges against a fourth person were stayed after he died in a collision in 2024.
As for the drug charges, federal Crown prosecutor Alexander Deacon noted that in 2023, the Estevan Police Service started an investigation into a drug-trafficking group in Estevan. On Aug. 9, 2024, the EPS arrested four individuals; after further investigation, the EPS identified Williams, and Nadine and Dallas Hala as members of the same group. The trio was arrested Aug. 27, 2024.
The Halas were identified as runners and have since been sentenced to conditional sentence orders of 20 months each. Williams was identified as the individual who was “dispatching”, Deacon said.
“A forensic investigation was done on the cell phones belonging to … Mr. Williams and the Halas, which uncovered clear evidence of their participation in trafficking, including messages of Mr. Williams directing the Halas.”
Williams was also found with a debit card linked to another individual under investigation, Deacon said.
The suggested sentence for Williams’ drug offences would be at the “lower end” of the established rate for trafficking cocaine, Deacon said.
“In situations like this, sometimes the seriousness of trafficking gets lost. It’s selling substances to people. But on the front lines of provincial courts, I think we see the effects of it,” Deacon said.
A two-year sentence amounts to 730 days. Avery said Williams had spent eight days in custody, which would amount to 12 days being subtracted from his sentence for enhanced remand credit.
Talhan countered Williams already spent 56 days in custody on the different charges, which would be 72 days remand credit.
The defence attorney said Williams is 32 years old. Williams was born in Winnipeg and spent quite a bit of time in the city before moving to Estevan. Talhan noted Williams has battled mental health and depression over the years.
“It’s also very clear the remorse he has for these offences,” said Talhan.
He cited numerous examples in which people have received a CSO for an aggravated assault charge. Talhan doesn’t know of any in Saskatchewan, but he added a CSO didn’t exist for aggravated assault until a few years ago.
Avery countered that in the instances Talhan cited, they didn’t involve charges of forcible confinement.
Talhan noted the evidence against Williams wasn’t overwhelming in the aggravated assault case, but Williams pleaded out because of his remorse. As for the drug case, citing parity, Talhan believes the Halas’ role was “much more overwhelming”.
He also stressed that Williams thought he was forced to do this, and if he didn’t set up the meeting with the two victims, Williams would be assaulted “very badly”. With the trafficking, Williams was in a situation in which it would be too difficult to leave.
Williams also hasn’t had any issues with violating his conditions since he was released with conditions following the drug arrest last year, Talhan said. The house arrest that Williams has been subject to has affected his family, cost him job opportunities and caused his mental health to decline.
“There’s no allegation that Mr. Williams has continued to be part of this criminal organization. It’s clear that Mr. Williams is, for lack of a better word, minding his own business and trying to stay out of trouble,” said Talhan.
The presentence report, according to Talhan, describes Williams as a low risk to reoffend.
When given the chance to speak, Williams said he “screwed people’s lives over” and he feels “terrible”.
“I feel like I’ve played a role in a domino effect in people’s lives, and there’s not much that I can do to make it up to everybody that I’ve hurt, but I want to be damn sure that I’m never going to do this again,” said Williams.
The matter was adjourned to Nov. 3 for a sentencing decision. Judge Mitch Miller admits it’s a longer delay than he would like, but a number of other matters will delay his decision. Williams remains out on conditions.
