Alexander Ivan Badger Jr used a cab to travel to and from two seperate Nanaimo banks on Aug 16, 2021, using a replica handgun to demand $80,000 from the tellers. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

time served

No additional jail time for Nanaimo man following local bank robberies & assault

Jan 3, 2023 | 5:22 AM

NANAIMO — A man who pled guilty to a pair of same-day bank robberies was handed a time-served jail sentence and three years probation.

Alexander Ivan Badger Junior, 32, faced charges of two counts of robbery and one count of assault against the mother of his children, along with a charge of uttering threats. He was credited for two years and 25 days of time already served.

Sentencing arguments in Badger’s case were heard on Dec. 20, while the judge issued her decision on Friday, Dec 30.

Robbery charges stem from incidents on Aug. 16, 2021, where Badger held up the TD Bank on Nicol St. and the CIBC at Country Club Centre within a span of a few hours.

The assault and uttering threats charges come from an incident earlier in 2021 in Nanaimo where Badger knocked a woman down a flight of stairs and used both of his hands to choke her.

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The uttering threats charge was dropped by the Crown following sentencing.

While nobody was injured during the bank hold-ups in which Badger used a cab to flee both scenes, court was told several bank employees were left traumatized, including one worker currently still on edge who still fears strangers.

Badger’s history with the law includes another robbery in 2008, a 2011 assault and several court-ordered breaches.

Judge Rose Raven’s ruling in provincial court stated he committed the crimes because he was under the influence of alcohol, while the judge accepted the mother of his children’s assertion Badger is “non-violent when he is not consuming alcohol.”

“The reason Mr. Badger is an alcoholic is because of the effects of Colonialism on his grandparents who attended Indian Residential Schools, separating them from their families, their language, and their culture,” the judge said. “This led to their inability to adequately parent Mr. Badger’s parents, who in turn became alcoholics, and exposed Mr. Badger to a childhood of violence, trauma, and alcohol abuse.”

Judge Raven referenced Badger’s ten-year gap in his criminal record between 2011 and 2021 as an indication he has a good chance of rehabilitating. Badger, an admitted alcoholic with cirrhosis of the liver, said staying in jail for the past two years helped him maintain his sobriety.

His father has remained sober for several years thanks to an Indigenous-focused recovery program, something Badger will become involved in upon his release.

He is also banned from owning firearms or other weapons for the rest of his life.

Badger must also submit a DNA sample, and forfeit the replica gun used in the robberies. He does not have to pay a victim surcharge due to his financial status, and he is now barred from any TD Bank or CIBC branches in Nanaimo.

He was cleared to visit the home of the mother of his children to see her and his kids, but only upon her request, and must immediately leave when asked. She spoke favourably on his behalf in court, saying his children miss him and their entire family supports his recovery.

Badger intends to live with his father post-release.

Court was told he voluntarily served his jail sentence for his crimes, stating he wanted to avoid distractions in order to rehabilitate.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow