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Penticton  

No jail for nightclub ambush

A Penticton man accused in a brutal beach assault in May was sentenced to house arrest and probation Monday for his role in a separate swarming attack outside the Mule Nightclub in 2017. 

Thomas Kruger-Allen, 21, received a four-month conditional sentence and 18 months of probation for his role in the August 2017 attack. He will be subject to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew during his four-month conditional sentence.

The victim of the 2017 assault suffered a shattered nose and broken orbital  bone after being ambushed by a group of young men outside the now-closed nightclub. Kruger-Allen admitted to kicking the victim while he was down, with blood later found on his shoe, and pleaded guilty to one count of common assault. 

The primary attacker in the swarming, Damien Keddie, was sentenced to eight months in prison last year.

During the sentencing hearing, Crown prosecutors argued Kruger-Allen was “chronically angry” with a high potential “to express anger and hostility” through verbal and physical means. They sought a 6-8 month jail term.

The defence, however, painted a picture of a man that “desperately” wants to leave his involvement with the justice system behind him. Kruger-Allen was supported by family in court Monday, and declined to comment after the sentence was handed down by Judge Andrew Tam.

While Kruger-Allen was out on bail awaiting sentencing for the 2017 nightclub ambush, it is alleged he punched and nearly killed Bradley Eliason during a bonfire on Okanagan Lake Beach in May. Eliason was left in a medically induced coma for weeks. For that alleged incident, Kruger Allen is charged with one count of aggravated assault, two counts of common assault and one count of sexual assault.

Those charges remain before the courts, with his next appearance slated for July 31.



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