Brett Gordon Ranger, 34, was given credit for time served and will be on probation with conditions for the next year after pleading guilty to one count of assault related to a March 27, 2023 incident on Victoria Rd. in Nanaimo. (submitted photo)

By Jordan Davidson

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No additional jail for Nanaimo man’s disturbing, random attack on woman

Mar 28, 2024 | 2:17 PM

NANAIMO — A local man vowing to forge a more positive future will be on probation for the next year after pleading guilty to assault for a high-profile attack in south Nanaimo.

Brett Gordon Ranger, 34, was sentenced in provincial court this week to the lesser charge, reduced from the initial offence of sexual assault, in relation to a March 27, 2023 incident on Victoria Rd. near Robarts St.

The unsuspecting victim was returning to work after lunch when she was approached by Ranger on the sidewalk, Crown prosecutor Sabrina Avery told court.

“Mr. Ranger came from her left side, grabbed her by the throat, told her to ‘f*** off’, and she attempted to push him away. Mr. Ranger then grabbed both of her breasts and said ‘I’m going to take this b***h.’ She was able to run away from Mr. Ranger, he followed her for a few seconds, he was screaming stuff but ultimately she was able to get inside of her workplace and call 9-1-1.”

A photo of Ranger from the scene was taken and posted on social media.

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He was arrested two-and-a-half hours later in the city’s south end at a View St. home.

Ranger and the victim were not known to each other.

Following the attack, Nanaimo RCMP described Ranger as being extremely high on drugs, in a psychotic state and very unpredictable.

Avery said while Ranger pleaded guilty to assault, the sexual nature of the offence was a major aggravating factor, one which could typically result in a jail sentence.

“Certainly the Crown would have been seeking the jail sentence but for the very intense efforts by Mr. Ranger to seek out the rehabilitation the way he has. This was an assault on a stranger, this is the exact type of offences our communities are most concerned about right now.”

Following the offence Ranger lived with his mother under 24-hour-a-day house arrest with no breaches.

While commending Ranger’s rehabilitation efforts, including taking methadone daily, judge Richard Browning said the offender’s “not-unsubstantial” criminal history must be taken into account.

“I understand and I expect to hear…that he is a much different person than he was when these other offences were being committed, but the sentence has to reflect both the circumstances of the offence and the circumstances of the offender, good, bad, and in some instances, indifferent.”

A victim impact statement was submitted but not fully read in court, where the victim requested leniency so Ranger could seek further treatment, saying she is familiar with the impacts of addiction.

During sentencing, Browning said he suspects Ranger was not in full possession of his mental capacities at the time of the incident.

“The reason…the Crown initially proceeded (with sexual assault charge) was because there is at least the violation of the sexual integrity of the complainant, as opposed to Mr. Ranger intending on committing a sexual offence. Either way, the behaviour is there. In my view, the circumstances of this, and Mr. Ranger’s past history, do not suggest to me that he is somebody that ought to be a concern for committing further sexual offences whatsoever.”

Court records showed Ranger has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2014 for a variety of violent and property offences, as well as numerous convictions for breaching release conditions.

Defence attorney Michael Ritzker argued it was “a cruel irony” that his client was facing barriers toward rehabilitation in a province where treatment for addictions and mental health is seen as a priority.

“The general public…they’re horrified by the ‘zombie apocalypse’, I’m talking about these horribly drug-addicted people that are wandering around in a state of near existence, and that was Mr. Ranger. So when you talk about his criminal record, that was him, he was one of those.”

Ritzker requested no probation for his client, while the Crown initially argued for a probation period of 18 months, with the judge ultimately settling on a year-long probationary term.

Ranger will not be subjected to conditions like house arrest or a curfew, enabling him to seek further support at a facility which doesn’t allow clients who have those conditions imposed on them.

The offender pleading guilty to the assault charge also played a factor in the downgrading of the charge from sexual assault to assault.

Ranger was given credit for 39 days of time served behind bars.

His year-long probation involves several provisions, including a no-contact order and continuing to attend a variety of counselling programs.

In addressing the court, Ranger spoke on how the sentence would help him get into a treatment facility.

“I’m just trying to get into (treatment centre name) and the no curfew charges is going to help me get into that treatment centre,” Ranger said.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow